All of Me (Live…In Concert) (2002)

This appears to be a collection of songs from a 2001 concert (or concerts) in Amsterdam.  I’m not sure this is correct, though, because I can’t believe Willie just did a concert of classic ballads and standards.  He has his road band/family with him along with Jackie King on lead guitar, but Willie usually sticks to a pretty standard set list, opening with “Whiskey River,” etc.  Whatever the case may be, these are some of Willie’s best versions of these songs.  The late 1990s and early 2000s produced many of my favorite Willie performances.  Willie also did several things with Jackie King during this time period, all of which are phenomenal—live on Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland and “The Gypsy” album.  This album is another hidden gem that needs to be better known.  It opens with lovely versions of “Help Me Make it Through the Night,” “Blue Skies,” and “Georgia on My Mind.”  Mickey Raphael’s harmonica solo on “Georgia on My Mind” (track 3) earns the applause he gets from the crowd.  This version of “Me and Paul” (track 4) takes a different path than many of Willie’s others.  It’s nice to hear Willie talking between songs and introducing the band.  He sings, “I thought Branson was the roughest” in this version.  The crowd really gets in to “City of New Orleans,” which is interesting for a concert in Amsterdam.  Jackie King’s jazzy guitar runs add a little Jerry Garcia, Grateful Dead feel to some of these songs.  Willie picks up the pace for a speedy version of “Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone” (track 6) with solos by sister Bobbie (Piano) and Jackie King.  Not my very favorite version of “Funny How Time Slips Away” (track 7), but I have eleven or twelve versions, and this ranks up there with the best of them.  The same could be said for this version of “Always On My Mind” (track 8).  I have half a dozen versions of this song, and this performance holds its own with the others.  “All of Me” (track 9) stands out as a more driving version than the one on “Stardust,” mostly fueled by Jackie King’s guitar solo, which garners applause from the crowd.  Willie recorded “I Never Cared for You” in 1998 for the “Teatro” album, so it is neat to hear him sing it live in 2001.  It opens with extensive piano and guitar work.  Without question, this album makes my untenable top ten.  Just needs better liner notes to explain more fully the details of the dates and locations of the recordings.  Willie opens track 11 by shouting, “What about some Ernest Tubb?”  This version of “Walkin’ the Floor Over You” is the only example I have of Willie singing this.  This song is worth the price of the used CD.  Of course he would close the album with a version of “Stardust” (track 12).  I actually only had three versions of this song (on the original “Stardust” album; the 2003 Willie Nelson and Friends concert for “Stars and Guitars” (with Aaron Neville on lead vocals); and the “Two Men with the Blues” album with Wynton Marsalis), so it is a real treat to find another version.  Willie should sing this song more often.