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The resultant sound is smooth, classy, and subtle--a sonic horse of a different color from the exquisitely ramshackle earthiness that made "Stardust" so appealing and unusual.
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MojoAmerican Classic really shines when the velveteen smoothness takes a backseat to that voice. [Sep 2009, p.90]
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Where 1978’s seminal Stardust was a major statement about the timeless power of a great song, the self-consciously minor American Classic is more of a breezy, diverting aside.
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At the age of 76, the Texas native proves that there is still plenty of stardust left under his cowboy hat.
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Standards collections from pop artists are de rigueur and Nelson’s trusty touring band has been replaced by a tasteful cocktail-jazz unit. For those reasons, American Classic doesn’t make the indelible mark its predecessor did.
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Its sound is lustrous, its personnel impeccable. What’s missing is the sense of conviction that Mr. Nelson brings to his strongest work.
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The familiar tenor slips in easily with the woozy horns and smooth pianos, sounding confident and at ease--appropriate for the king of cool.
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Produced by renowned adult contemporary producer Tommy LiPuma, American Classic-Nelson's finest album since 1998's "Teatro"-contains 12 timeless melodies that bridge the gap between Nelson's love for Django Reinhardt and Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys.
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He takes songs easy without throwing them away, and these were written to hold up their end of that bargain.