Willie Nelson - My Way (2018) CD Rip

Ever since 1978's Stardust, standards albums have been part of Willie Nelson's arsenal, but 2018's My Way presents a twist on this shopworn tradition: it's designed as a tribute to Frank Sinatra. Album-long tributes to Sinatra aren't uncommon -- Bob Dylan devoted much of the 2010s to recording a series of tributes to him -- but My Way stands apart from the pack by capturing both the rakish charm of the Chairman of the Board and Nelson's sly elegance. Nelson balances standards from the Great American Songbook ("A Foggy Day," "Blue Moon," "Night and Day," "Young at Heart") with songs written with Sinatra in mind ("Fly Me to the Moon," "Summer Wind," "It Was a Very Good Year," "My Way"), which brings My Way closer to the essence of Frank Sinatra than Dylan's stylized saloon records. This is light and breezy, music that suggests the swinging heyday of Sinatra without ever quite sounding like a dusty old Capitol LP, not even the horns are sighing and blaring. Chalk that up to Nelson, who sounds limber if a bit scraggly, both in his voice and on his guitar. There's a wry, insouciant charm to his performances: he knows how to ratchet up the drama in "It Was Very Good Year," realizes "My Way" is irresistible hokum, and slides into the calming melody of "Summer Wind." Unlike Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin, Nelson's limitations aren't a hindrance, and the arrangements aren't excessively polite, which means My Way is an appealingly light record: it's performed with more affection than reverence. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine