To Willie

iTunes Review

Tribute albums are no rarity in the world of country music (think Merle Haggard’s barnstorming pair of tribute albums to Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Wills, and Willie Nelson’s landmark tribute to the works of Lefty Frizzell). Phosphorescent’s succinctly named tribute To Willie, is a part of this venerable tradition, and finds the up- and-coming Georgia songwriter paying his respects to one of country music’s finest songwriters, Willie Nelson. Phosphorescent’s Mark Houck is, like Willie, a singer with an unerring sense of melody that helps to compensate for what might otherwise be perceived as vocal shortcomings. Willie was able to turn his limited range into a considerable asset with his soulful phrasing and on these loose but loving reinterpretations, Houck demonstrates just how much he has learned from his idol, pulling off Willie’s indelible “I Gotta Get Drunk,” for instance, with ragged aplomb. Houck wisely never attempts to best or radically reinvent the Nelson tunes he attempts here, and instead opts for reverent, but nonetheless lived in, readings of tunes like “Permanently Lonely” and “The Party’s Over” that glow with both passion and originality.