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The Little Willies
The Little Willies
(Milking Bull)
First Appeared in The Music Box, March 2006, Volume 13, #3
Written by John Metzger
The formation of The Little Willies was a bit of a fluke in that its primary
purpose was to provide an opportunity for Grammy-winner Norah Jones, underground
folk artist Richard Julian, bass player Lee Alexander, drummer Dan Rieser, and
guitarist Jim Campilongo to blow off some steam between projects. Running
through a catalogue of country classics, the ensemble managed to deliver an
under-the-radar performance at New York City’s Living Room. However, as one gig
turned into a stream of semi-regular events that included a high-profile benefit
concert for public radio station WFUV, the loose-knit collective found itself
with a rapidly burgeoning scene. Designed as means of christening Jones and
Alexander’s new recording studio, The Little Willies’ self-titled debut is
likely to garner the group even more attention, which hopefully won’t stifle the
free-spirited playfulness that pervades the endeavor. Fusing cover material by
the likes of Willie Nelson (Gotta Get Drunk and Nightlife), Kris
Kristofferson (Best of All Possible Worlds), and Hank Williams (I’ll
Never Get Out) with a handful of original compositions, the band delivers an
affable set that occasionally strikes pure gold. Of particular note is a
hauntingly beautiful rendition of Townes Van Zandt’s No Place to Fall, on
which Jones caresses Julian’s sad and weary vocals with a ghostly whisper. While
many might approach the outing with some degree of skepticism, the album is a
remarkably solid affair, and considering that it concludes with a novelty tune
about cow tipping — titled Lou Reed, no less — it’s abundantly clear that
the effort is meant merely to be fun-filled diversion from business as usual. That it
actually is something more is an added bonus.  ½
The Little Willies is available from Amazon.com.
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2006
The Music Box
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