The Willie Nelson Special

Call him what you will--an institution, a troubadour (his own description), or, in the memorable words of Joan Rivers, a guy who looks as if he should be wearing a roach motel around his neck--but Willie Nelson is nothing if not reliable. Superior songwriter, good singer, underrated guitar player: all of Willie's strengths are on display in this 1984 concert, as he and his veteran band perform “On the Road Again,” “Whiskey River,” “To All the Girls I've Loved Before” (sans Julio), and other Nelson standards. Still, the truth is that this would be a fairly ho-hum affair were it not for the presence of the inimitable Ray Charles and jazz guitarist Jackie King, who both join Nelson for a stunning version of the torch ballad “Angel Eyes,” after which Ray and Willie go to town on their hit “Seven Spanish Angels,” along with “I Can't Stop Loving You,” and the inevitable “Georgia." It's Willie's show, of course, and his dry wit and sheer likeability come across well here, but it's the other guys who take this Dolby Digital 5.1 recorded DVD from the realm of the merely entertaining to something approaching transcendence. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (S. Graham)