Willie Nelson: A Moment of Forever

Co-produced by Kenny Chesney, Moment of Forever seeks to modernize Willie Nelson's iconic sound by inserting the Red Headed Stranger's distinct vocals into a series of flush, Nashville-tinted arrangements. A decidedly bleak collection laced with dark tones and darker themes (social malady, death, Hurricane Katrina), Moment scores when tracks like Nelson's Americana-infused take on Dave Matthews's "Gravedigger" showcase the 74-year-old's talent for assimilating material into his own unique style. Too often, however, the album's pop-country drum tracks and driving electric guitars distract from the nuance-filled character of Nelson's legendary voice, and the album quickly slips from sonically misguided to artistically awkward on cuts such as "The Bob Song," about...a pirate named Bob. The tune features an intro by Big & Rich's "Big Kenny" Alphin that's equal parts creepy and bizarre, and finds Nelson almost shouting lyrics like "B-O-B Bob was a drunken old slob." Willie, Willie, Willie...