Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Countryman was first brainstormed by Don Was and Chris Blackwell way back in 1995 and was originally intended for release on Blackwell's Island Records. The idea of combining Willie Nelson's patented Texas glide with some one-drop Jamaican rhythms is certainly a novel one, but the chances of it working seemed as remote as George Jones hitting Kingston and toasting "White Lightning" over a choice dubplate at the local yard. You'd have to be crazy or high to think it would work. Well, this is Willie Nelson, after all, the man who wrote "Crazy" and has had more than his share of encounters with Texas locoweed, so all concerned figured, man, this'll be great, and work began on Countryman in 1996 with Don Was producing. The project almost immediately fell victim to label monkey business, and sat on Nelson's back burner for nearly a decade, until Lost Highway hired producer Richard Feldman to come in and finish it. It would be wonderful to say that Countryman has been worth the long wait. It would also be wonderful if Kingston and Nashville were sister cities, but there isn't enough ganja in the former or enough whiskey in the latter to make this hybrid Texas reggae idea work. Imagine Willie skanking over the top of a dub mix laced with steel guitar. No, really imagine it. Not even Toots Hibbert showing up to sing on Johnny Cash's "I'm a Worried Man" can make this work. To be fair, Nelson does a credible job on the two Jimmy Cliff tunes on Countryman, turning in strong, eerie, and atmospheric versions of "Sitting in Limbo" and "The Harder They Come," and he shines on his own 1960s song "Darkness on the Face of the Earth," which features a cute (sorry, no other word will do) little dub tail. But as a whole, the songs on Countryman sound woefully out of whack, neither good reggae nor good country, and if the experiment seemed like a super idea back in 1995, maybe someone should have simply rolled another one.
© Steve Leggett /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $10.83/month
Richard Feldman, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Don Was, Producer - Willie Nelson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Rik Pekkonen, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Tom Weir, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2005 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Richard Feldman, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Don Was, Producer - Willie Nelson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Rik Pekkonen, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Tom Weir, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2005 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Richard Feldman, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - June Carter Cash, ComposerLyricist - Don Was, Producer - Willie Nelson, MainArtist - Johnny Cash, ComposerLyricist - Rik Pekkonen, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Tom Weir, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Toots Hibbert, FeaturedArtist
℗ 2005 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Richard Feldman, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Don Was, Producer - Willie Nelson, MainArtist - Rik Pekkonen, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Jimmy Cliff, ComposerLyricist - Tom Weir, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2005 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Richard Feldman, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Don Was, Producer - Willie Nelson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Rik Pekkonen, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Tom Weir, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2005 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Richard Feldman, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Don Was, Producer - Willie Nelson, MainArtist - Guilly Bright, ComposerLyricist - Rik Pekkonen, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Jimmy Cliff, ComposerLyricist - Tom Weir, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2005 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Richard Feldman, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Don Was, Producer - Willie Nelson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Rik Pekkonen, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Tom Weir, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2005 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Richard Feldman, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Don Was, Producer - Willie Nelson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Rik Pekkonen, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Tom Weir, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2005 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Richard Feldman, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Don Was, Producer - Willie Nelson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Rik Pekkonen, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ray Price, ComposerLyricist - Tom Weir, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2005 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Richard Feldman, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Don Was, Producer - Willie Nelson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Rik Pekkonen, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Tom Weir, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2005 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Richard Feldman, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Don Was, Producer - Willie Nelson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Rik Pekkonen, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Tom Weir, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2005 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Richard Feldman, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Don Was, Producer - Willie Nelson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Rik Pekkonen, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Hank Cochran, ComposerLyricist - Tom Weir, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2005 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
Countryman was first brainstormed by Don Was and Chris Blackwell way back in 1995 and was originally intended for release on Blackwell's Island Records. The idea of combining Willie Nelson's patented Texas glide with some one-drop Jamaican rhythms is certainly a novel one, but the chances of it working seemed as remote as George Jones hitting Kingston and toasting "White Lightning" over a choice dubplate at the local yard. You'd have to be crazy or high to think it would work. Well, this is Willie Nelson, after all, the man who wrote "Crazy" and has had more than his share of encounters with Texas locoweed, so all concerned figured, man, this'll be great, and work began on Countryman in 1996 with Don Was producing. The project almost immediately fell victim to label monkey business, and sat on Nelson's back burner for nearly a decade, until Lost Highway hired producer Richard Feldman to come in and finish it. It would be wonderful to say that Countryman has been worth the long wait. It would also be wonderful if Kingston and Nashville were sister cities, but there isn't enough ganja in the former or enough whiskey in the latter to make this hybrid Texas reggae idea work. Imagine Willie skanking over the top of a dub mix laced with steel guitar. No, really imagine it. Not even Toots Hibbert showing up to sing on Johnny Cash's "I'm a Worried Man" can make this work. To be fair, Nelson does a credible job on the two Jimmy Cliff tunes on Countryman, turning in strong, eerie, and atmospheric versions of "Sitting in Limbo" and "The Harder They Come," and he shines on his own 1960s song "Darkness on the Face of the Earth," which features a cute (sorry, no other word will do) little dub tail. But as a whole, the songs on Countryman sound woefully out of whack, neither good reggae nor good country, and if the experiment seemed like a super idea back in 1995, maybe someone should have simply rolled another one.
© Steve Leggett /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:35:53
- Main artists: Willie Nelson
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Lost Highway Records
- Genre: World Reggae
© 2005 UMG Recordings, Inc. ℗ 2005 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz?
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalog with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets, and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.