Phosphorescent
To Willie
Dead Oceans
By Mike Randall
A single listen to Phosphorescent’s 2007 gem of a record, Pride, leaves little question about the immense talent of Matthew Houck. Dreamy and morose, Pride’s brand of folk music was unique and magnetic, but it did little to conjure up any comparisons whatsoever to Willie Nelson. Although on stage Phosphorescent morphed his show into a more upbeat, rocking affair, country outlaw would not be among the first 100 adjectives used. Not that they were needed - Pride was a fine record on its own merits. As such, it might be a bit of a surprise to learn Phosphorescent has taken the concept of Willie’s 1975 homage to Lefty Frizell, To Lefty From Willie, and flipped it around in tribute to Nelson. Perhaps Houck simply took to heart the words Willie sings on “Pick Up The Tempo,” the Highwaymen ode to living hard and wanting to live harder: “Pick up the tempo just a little and take it on home.”
On To Willie, Phosphorescent, which is Houck’s recording name, tackles 11 of his favorite Nelson songs from all aspects of the Red-Headed Stranger’s career. Houck doesn’t skim the surface, though. Digging deep into Willie’s catalog, he covers tunes Willie probably doesn’t even remember recording, and makes sure all of Nelson’s dynamic sides are tackled – from the spiritual “Too Sick To Pray” to the classic country of “The Last Thing I Needed (First Thing This Morning).” Don’t pick this up if you’re looking for straight interpretations, however. While Houck definitely gives undeniable nods, he makes these songs his own, and it’s as fun a listen as you’re likely to have all year.
Houck excels in showing his own range while successfully managing to match the endless width of Willie’s. He gives his voice a faint nasal tone and nails the reverb cry of Nelson’s slow gypsy guitar style during Phases and Stages’ “It’s Not Supposed To Be That Way,” while the blocky lead lines of the Merle Haggard-penned “Reasons To Quit” are spot on. Houck even sings Haggard’s lyrics as if he wrote them himself, and you believe him when he laments, “I’m hardly ever sober/My old friends don’t come around anymore.” Difficulty would lie for just about anyone else trying to channel Nelson’s sensitive side, but Houck makes a cerebral and heartfelt stab at “Can I Sleep In Your Arms,” the lone cut from Nelson’s classic, Red Headed Stranger.
Still, Phosphorescent isn’t out just to duplicate. With off-the-tracks harmonica and ragged guitar that recalls The Hawks, Houck tears through 1975’s “I Gotta Get Drunk” the way Highway 61-era Dylan would have if he were sloshed. That fueled-by-booze feel continues on the album-ending “The Party’s Over,” which tumbles off a barstool as a saloon sing-along about calling it a night a little too late. But it’s “Walkin’” that’s the standout here. Through twang-y country with a dose of gospel, it’s played the way fans of early Wilco wish the band would sound like today.
Making an all-covers album can be dangerous, as the risk for being pigeonholed is heightened exponentially. But Phosphorescent traverses so much ground with Nelson’s catalogue, and does it so well, that the likelihood is slim to none anything but positive feelings will result. He has the track record of making a great album with his own material, and now he’s successfully transformed songs that had little room for improvement. Which isn’t that far off from how Willie got started.
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