Willie Nelson

At 74, Willie and his trusty Trigger are still making music. Unfortunately, the music the grand pappy of country is making is starting to turn a little sappy and becoming watered down. The whiskey well is running dry, as the icon has started to suffer from settling for middle-of-the-road, tried and true songs that have more in common with the Music Row machine than the outlaw country that this red bandana song-slinger was once revered for. That’s not surprising when one learns Kenny Chesney co-produced the record. Despite these shortcomings, there are still a few bright moments that show Nelson can still find the right notes and words. The ones that work best here are two of the covers: a nod to one of his Farm Aid pals, Dave Matthews, with a countrified version of "Gravedigger,” and the closing tribute to Mr. Dylan, "Gotta Serve Somebody.”