Soundtrack

Early on I realized that the things going on in my head weren't quite like everybody else's. At least, not in the heads of the people closest to me. I never believed I was so unique that no one else's was the same, and I certainly never believed that it made me special (maybe the opposite even), but I knew I was definitely alone in my local control group. One of the differences I picked up on was the soundtrack of music that's always playing between my ears. Even when I'm not actually listening to music, it's there, a constant presence, a piece of me that's been around for as long as I can remember. I can't always identify the song/tune/beat, and I can almost never tell you the title or the artist (as some of my more musical or trivia-minded friends will tell you with frustration), and it's certainly never helped me keep a tune or play an instrument, but it's there. Sometimes louder, sometimes quieter, sometimes appropriate, sometimes incongruous, sometimes angry and sometimes completely unnoteworthy, it's there. And it has always meant that music plays an important and variable role in my life.

Willie Nelson's Heroes Album

Ok, I must admit that this album is my latest obsession. Some of the songs are better than others, but I've easily listened to each of them 50 times in 2 days. And, every time I have, I've heard something new. The way he takes classic American songs types and structures and interprets them feels like home. It's not over the top flashy, and I wouldn't say he's breaking new ground with most of these, but he just does what he does so well that you don't care if he's pioneering something new. The one truly amazing thing on the album is the richness and tone in his voice. He features plenty of guest stars on theses tracks, including his son Lukas and Sheryl Crow, but they pale in comparison, voices sounding reedy and thin, or in the case of Lukas, like a poor man's Willie. Two of the guests come close to matching his delivery, fellow living legends Kris Kristofferson and Ray Price, but the others seem to be present only to make Willie sound so good.

My favorite two tracks on the album are Just Breathe, and Every Time He Drinks He Thinks of Her. The first is an amazing interpretation of a song I've heard others perform (including Eddie Vedder live, which is the subject for another post). The slightly wavering quality in Willie's voice communicates the gratitude and sadness of the lyrics beautifully. The second is Willie in his finest role- as a storyteller. Again, I've heard other versions of this song, but the way he paces and phrases the lyrics makes you feel like he's telling you something true about himself. It just feels so authentic.