3.1 - Just a quick aside to consider this album within the context of Willie’s career: This was his 22nd studio album, by this point he’d been recording for 22 years, he was 45 years old at the time of its release, and now in 2021 he’s 87 years old. I say all this because recording an album of pop standards is a move artists often make in the twilight of their careers. In the case of Willie Nelson, was this album a stopgap to appease his record company, and to give himself just a little respite from the grind of writing and touring? The album is fine. His voice sounds sweet and clear as ever. The arrangements do justice to the original recordings while accentuating Willie’s strengths. It’s obviously more than a little boring. It’s an album you put on when your grandparents are visiting. It also makes me mourn the musical wasteland of 1978 if this is an example of some of the strongest output for that year.