Laid-back swing tribute to legendary Texas songwriter

Nelson's prolific streak of releases on Lost Highway (including live and studio LPs each of the past three years) continues with this collection of Cindy Walker covers. Walker's songs are best known as hits rendered by a who's-who of swing, honky-tonk, country and pop stars that includes Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, Webb Pierce, Merle Haggard, Eddy Arnold and Ray Charles. The Texas soul of Walker's songs fit Nelson to a tee, and as a legendary songsmith in his own right, his devotion to Walker's work is both a compliment and an acknowledgement of these songs' fundamental role in his own artistic development.

An Overdue Tribute

Other than two Leon Rausch CDs on independent labels, this is the first tribute album spotlighting the music of recently departed Hall of Famer Cindy Walker.

Five stars isn't nearly enough

I have found that there are four types of country-minded songwriters. The first two (those who can't write, and those whose artistic success comes sporadically, at best), I won't bother with. The third category of songwriters are those who create elaborate tapestries with words. These are your Dylan's and Kristofferson's; artists who milk language for everything it is worth (I'm not insulting their talent; I personally am a big Kristofferson fan). The fourth type of songwriter uses simple language; they keep it real and honest, and cut straight to the bone. This is where Cindy Walker (and, not-coincidently, Willie Nelson) falls.