The pairing of Ryan Adams and his band the Cardinals with Willie Nelson may seem a tad odd, but Nelson has always had a penchant for the unusual and extraordinary; from Plácido Domingo to Leon Russell, Nelson enjoys working with others in collaboration. That said, Songbird is a collaboration of a different sort, and it most resembles -- in feel, not sound -- the work Nelson did with Daniel Lanois on Teatro: loose, relaxed, adventuresome. In essence, Nelson allowed Adams to produce him using the Cardinals, and a couple of Nelson's sidemen, harmonica player Mickey Raphael and Glenn Patscha on Hammond B-3. This is Nelson singing electric rock and blues. While that may read like it would be a travesty, it actually accounts for Nelson's best record since Teatro. His easy delivery, contrasted with Adams wiry production, creates an emotionally honest, deeply moving recording with the best traits of both men shining forth. Nelson wrote four tracks on this set, Adams wrote two, and the selection of covers -- Songbird by Christine McVie, Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter's Stella Blue, Gram Parsons' $1,000 Wedding, and Harlan Howard's Yours, Love -- is stellar.

1		Rainy Day Blues
2		Songbird
3		Blue Hotel
4		Back to Earth
5		Stella Blue
6		Hallelujah
7		$1000 Wedding
8		We Don't Run
9		Yours Love
10		Sad Songs and Waltzes
11		Amazing Grace

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