Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin＜限定盤＞

In 2015, Willie Nelson became the first country artist to receive the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, an honor so deserving, it almost seemed like destiny. Similarly, Nelson's reaction to the award feels a bit preordained: he settled into the studio with much of his band and longtime producer Buddy Cannon to cut 11 George Gershwin tunes. It's largely the same crew who were responsible for 2013's Let's Face the Music and Dance, the last all-standards Nelson release, but Summertime feels a bit different: more intimate but also more straightforward, swapping nods to Western swing for a conventionally jazzy swing. Compared to 1978's classic Stardust, where Nelson channeled the Great American Songbook through his sensibility, Summertime contains standards done in a standard fashion -- or at least as close to standard as Willie can manage -- but unlike 2009's American Classic, which felt weighed down by its stately arrangements, this is light on its feet, with the bandmembers enjoying their lazy strolls and cozy shuffles. So relaxed is the band that the two invited guests -- Cyndi Lauper playing to the nonexistent rafters on "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," Sheryl Crow vamping through "Embraceable You" -- feel like interlopers, not quite jibing with the vibe of the whole thing because they take it all a bit too seriously. For Nelson and his gang, this album might be tied to a specific, significant event, but that's no reason not to take it easy. All of Summertime's charm is tied directly to its mellowness. Perhaps it would have been a more interesting record if it had a hint of adventure -- if Nelson and Cannon took risks with the arrangements or if Willie played around with his phrasing -- but what's here is warm and inviting, a record by an artist who is happy to be part of the great tradition of American song. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

ポピュラーミュージックの功労者に贈られるガーシュウィン賞の受賞にちなんで企画されたカントリー界の重鎮によるガーシュウィン曲集。ウィリーのガーシュウィンといえば'78年の名作『Sturdast』収録の《Someone to Watch Over Me》だが、本作でも再演。今回はグッとジャズ色強め、というかアルバムどこを切ってもジャズ。ウィントン・マルサリス、ノラ・ジョーンズとの共演盤も記憶に新しいが、お馴染みのガーシュウィン・ナンバーで滋味溢れるウィリーの歌声はより伸びやかにスウィングしている。シンディ・ローパー、シェリル・クロウとのデュエットも楽しげ。
intoxicate (C)片切真吾

ふと気付けばウィリー翁の新作が届く──ここ数年はそんな状態が続いているが、82歳を迎えた今日も元気に音楽を奏でる御大の笑顔に触れられて嬉しい限り。ガーシュインの名曲集となったジャジーでレトロな本作も、例に漏れず最高の笑顔が浮かぶ素敵な内容だ。気持ち良さげにスウィングしまくる歌声の変わらぬ味わい。この安定感は流石である。シンディ・ローパーやシェリル・クロウとのデュエットも雰囲気たっぷり。
bounce (C)桑原吏朗