Picture in a Frame (2003)

Kimmie Rhodes’ vocals don’t do much for me, but Willie’s voice on this version of “Picture in a Frame” immediately struck me. It’s up front and close in a way I haven’t heard before. I love this song on “It Always Will Be.” That version is probably better as a whole. This one has too much Kimmie and not enough Willie. But the snatches of Willie’s voice on this track are priceless. Same with this version of “Valentine.” It also appears on “Across the Borderline.” The producing and mixing on this album are excellent thus far. A lot of clean acoustic guitar work and crisp vocals. “Just One Love” also appears on the other album Willie recorded with Kimmie Rhodes. This version is a much more stripped down acoustic affair, and it is superior to the original. A little flamenco guitar between verses. Thankfully, there’s more Willie and less Kimmie in this track. She tries to sing harmony with him. She sounds like a younger Emmylou Harris. Willie’s vocals are strong. This version of Rodney Crowell’s “Till I Gain Control” ranks as one of my favorites. This album is growing on me. I’d always rather have straight up Willie, but Kimmie hangs back and sings harmony and let’s Willie and Trigger take the lead. This is one of my favorite songs that Willie does. I rank all of his versions of this song high, and this is no exception. “Love Me Like Song” is a different kind of song for Willie, and this time he’s trying to sing back-up vocals. “I Just Drove By” starts out with Willie and Trigger sounding as full and strong as ever. Willie also sang this Kimmie-penned song on their last outing, “Just One Love.” Again, this one is more pared down. Just acoustic with a touch of steel. This album may have to make my untenable top ten. Another hidden gem. How many more of these unknown Willie gems are out there? He is leaving behind the most amazing trail, more of a wake, of work. I’m just water skiing over it right now. I love the title “Contrabandistas.” Kimmie takes the lead on this one. Willie hangs back. Not sure who she reminds me of. Another flamenco-inflected track. Great guitar work on this album. Willie’s “Love Will Always Be” appears as “It Always Will Be” on the 2004 album of the same name. I gave that version a 4, but this may be a 5. More spare, more stripped down in this earlier 2003 version. Again, the irony of Willie claiming that his love “will always be,” until it isn’t. Until it slips away. Only in his mind will it always remain. Then he ends with two Kimmie Rhodes tunes. Interesting how Willie seems to give the guitar solos more space on some of his later works. Kimmie takes the lead on “We’ve Done this Before,” but Willie joins in “like a wave returning to the shore.” It gets at Willie’s sense of time, like seasons, like waves, like falling leaves. Returning to the past, to memories. We’ve been here before. Déjà vu. I’ve been there, I’ll be there again. A Buddhist, stoic view. “Rhinestone Highway” may be my least favorite song on the album. Might be the strings and the slightly overproduced feel (relative to the other tracks). The other songs sounded like they were recorded in Willie’s living room, but this sounds like a studio. Too polished. And almost no trace of Willie unless he’s on guitar. My biggest beef with this album would be this last track. Why end it with no Willie unless he is trying to let her have the last word or note. Too humble and deferential as always. Willie never seems to care about getting credit. Another example of him lending his name to further someone else’s career, regardless of the negative effect on his own. Who else does this? I like the principle if not the product.