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The whole is still a game enough effort, if nothing else showing Houck's excellent taste in song choices.
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Houck's impressive effort nonetheless inevitably sends you back to Nelson's originals, only illuminating their brilliance.
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It’s earthy and it’s eloquent--no doubt Willie will approve.
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MojoThis has more than enough beauty and character to stand on its own. [Mar 2009, p.107]
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Q MagazineHouck's trip through Nelson's 60-plus albums shows such love and attention the great man himself could only approve of such hangover gems as 'I Gotta Get Drunk.' [Mar 2009, p.101]
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Under The RadarThis is a gripping, understated, and deeply soulful take on Nelson's music. [Winter 2009, p.74]
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It’s stirring, tragic fare that demonstrates why For Willie is a good introduction for those new to Nelson and Houck alike.
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To Willie isn’t a particularly dynamic record--even 'I Gotta Get Drunk' sounds sensitive--but Houck has succeeded in communicating his own musical vision through Nelson’s songs, an achievement to which Nelson himself would no doubt raise a glass.
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When Phosphorescent's Matthew Houck and his band pay homage to Nelson, it feels like a greenhorn hitching on to the pothead patron saint's biodiesel wagon as a credibility grab.
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Houck's voice knows exactly when to crack, and when the material's as great as this, that's the only embellishment you need.
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The fact that the album works may speak most to the strength of Nelson's original material, but To Willie certainly has a creaky, good-natured charm, is light on frills, and puts a clear focus on the songwriting.
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To Willie seems more like a personal effort than a proper follow-up to "Pride," and it’s not as inventive as that album. It works well as a covers collection.
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Houck’s talents are prevalent in everything he plays, and his enthusiasm for Willie’s material comes through with each passing listen.
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The Alabama-born Houck knows his way around this music well enough to walk the fine line between respect and reverence as he delivers impassioned readings of 'Can I Sleep In Your Arms' and 'Too Sick To Pray' and kicks out a freewheeling rip through 'I Gotta Get Drunk' with the appropriate tinge of self-loathing.
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From beginning to end, Houck's voice crackles with soul, and his down-home arrangements are soothing and familiar without seeming cliché. That being said, there is nothing particularly innovative about the album.
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Matthew Houck, better known as the voice of Phosphorescent, has given Willie Nelson (and the rest of us) a gorgeous, shimmering gift in To Willie.
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To Willie is more than a curatorial feat; Phosphorescent reaches down to the pain.
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Graceful, honest, and wringing every understated ounce of emotion from the tunes.
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FilterRather than coming across as note-for-note recreations, each song takes on a new, softer life with Houck's delicate vocals. [Winter 2009, p.98]
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To Willie could have a lost ballad and a roadhouse jam for variety's sake, but Houck's thoughtful curating makes it more than a fans-only stopgap.
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Timeless and universal, everyone can identify with Willie Nelson's songs, as sung by Houck, as Phosphorescent's tales of heartbreak, wasted youth, and harsh introspection.