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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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Two Men With The Blues
by Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis
This is a recording of the special concert of Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis who performed together in January 2007 at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
| LABEL: |
Blue Note |
| RELEASE DATE: |
08 July 2008 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Jazz, Country, Blues |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
90
All Music Guide
It's a flat-out joy.
90
Boston Globe
Ten exuberant, tender, casually elegant tracks later you realize - much to your surprise, if you're like me--that the pairing of the grizzled country star and the suave jazz master is an unmitigated, ear-tickling success.
90
PopMatters
Accompanying a pure individualist and plain speaker like Nelson strips the Marsalis Quintet of its preciousness. Here, Marsalis and company sound natural, loose, gritty, and certainly inspired.
83
Entertainment Weekly
Willie and Wynton may seem like an odd couple, but this live disc makes the country legend amd jazz master sound like natural partners. [11 Jul 2008, p.75]
80
Hartford Courant
Aside from standout individual performances, what makes this vibrant session click so naturally is the collaborative spirit bonding these two great American artists tapping into the rich, varied legacy of our popular music.
80
Paste Magazine
This performance with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis feels like a long-overdue summit meeting. These renditions of classics--including some of Willie’s own--sound completely natural.
80
The New York Times
Armstrong’s example created the conditions for this to happen, and the record is an almost classical example of his old game: eluding American stereotypes of country, city, blues, jazz, race, class, humor and sadness.
80
Vibe
Impressive without being pretentious, Two Men possesses an urbane strut that’s perfect for jazzheads--and their country cousins.
80
Mojo
[A] gem-filled recording. [Aug 2008, p.111]
80
Under The Radar
Although Willie Nelson changes for no one, he’s just as comfortable in your living room as he is in his, so it’s no surprise that a summit with Wynton Marsalis’ combo, recorded live at Jazz at Lincoln Center last year, is so inspired. [Summer 2008]
80
Billboard
An album whose enviably assured vibe pretty much drips out of the speakers.
80
Village Voice
Sure, the novelty helps, and if it recurs too often, the glee of hearing Nelson and Marsalis mesh will diminish. But hearing once how they play with and against each other is a real treat.
80
Uncut
Willie's laidback voice is on top form, and for once, Wynton's garrulous trumpet takes a back seat, leaving space for some smart interjections from Mickey Rafael's harmonica and Walter Blanding's tenor sax. [Aug 2008, p.100]
70
Blender
When the singer’s overfamiliarity with certain material risks turning him nonchalant, Dan Nimmer’s barrelhouse piano picks up the slack; just when you’re ready to give up on an uninspired Hank Williams cover, some New Orleans parade funk kicks in.
60
Observer Music Monthly
There's too much jokey bluster, and little ground is broken, but this is an entertaining diversion.
60
Q Magazine
This good-humoured set is sometimes a little too comfortable, but it's hard to gripe when they play Hoagy Carmichael songs 'Stardust' and 'Georgia On My Mind.' [Aug 2008, p.140]
50
Austin Chronicle
While this summit doesn't offer enough to interest more than the converted, the magnitude of the encounter tends to transcend whatever music is created.
40
NOW Magazine
Don’t count on hearing any lively back-and-forth exchanges, though, they’re clearly too respectful of each other to risk stepping on any toes in public.
The average user rating for this album is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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