If ever there were doubts about the breadth and depth of
Willie Nelson's ambitions and talents,
Across the Borderline should put them to rest.
Nelson surveys roughly two decades of popular music, tackling songs by writers as varied as
Paul Simon,
Bob Dylan,
Willie Dixon, and
Lyle Lovett. That
Nelson covers such a variety shouldn't really come as such a surprise: the songs on
Across the Borderline simply consolidate the range of material he's covered previously, from the
Bing Crosby-inspired pop standards albums
Stardust to the folk-rock of "City of New Orleans."
Nelson, along with producer
Don Was, assembled a stellar cast of musicians for the album.
Paul Simon,
Bonnie Raitt, and
Mose Allison all guest, and a rock band is
Nelson's backup unit for most of the tracks. Of course, country music is at the center of
Nelson's vast repertoire, and the two
Lyle Lovett compositions he chose to cover for
Across the Borderline are wonderfully done, with the accompaniment of
Nelson's regular backing band. There are also
Nelson's own songs, both new ("Valentine") and old (the rather gloomy "She's Not for You"), as well as a writing and singing collaboration with
Bob Dylan ("Heartland"). For all the strengths of the other 13 tracks, the most stunning song on the album is
Peter Gabriel's "Don't Give Up." The parts originally sung by
Kate Bush on
Gabriel's
So album are sung here by
Sinead O'Connor, a brilliant piece of casting.
Nelson and
O'Connor's rendition is quietly triumphant and every bit as powerful as
Gabriel and
Bush's original. The result of the apparently scattershot song selection and numerous musicians is an album that possesses a quiet majesty, further establishing
Willie Nelson as one of the most important writers and interpreters of the last half of the 20th century. ~ Martin Monkman