Phosphorescent - To Willie
There's enough of a contemporary twist on the material to make this seem worthwhile
In an echo of Willie Nelson's own To Lefty From Willie where he paid homage to one of his idols, Lefty Frizell, by reinterpreting a collection of his favourite Frizell songs, so too has Matthew Houck (Phosphorescent) paid tribute to Nelson. 11 solid renditions make for an enjoyable listen. Houck already has a considerable reputation as an alt-country artist and this project will do him no harm. There's enough of a contemporary twist on the material to make this seem worthwhile, though the songs are decades old and thus it does sound unavoidably dated at times despite Phosphorescent's best efforts. Stand-out track is almost certainly Walkin', where some sublime slide-guitar comes closest to raising goosebumps. I Gotta Get Drunk is also a rambunctious burst of bar-room fighting music as guys in plaid shirts slide along the bar and topless dancers crack empty bottles over truckers' heads. [Chris Cusack]