In forty-plus years, there have been over 100 Willie Nelson albums on the market. Some have been put out without his cooperation, some have been put out for purely financial (i.e. back taxes) reasons, and, thankfully, many have been put out because of his artistry. Songbird definitely falls into the latter category. Produced by Ryan Adams and accompanied by Adams' backing band, The Cardinals (along with Willie's longtime harmonica cohort Mickey Raphael), Songbird once again sees Nelson brilliantly interpreting works covering a wide range of great songwriters. Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and Jerry Garcia's "Stella Blues" are two of the standouts, and Fleetwood Mac's "Songbird" gives the album its title. With Adams at the helm and his band laying the musical foundation, it should come as no surprise that the album sounds nearly as much like Adam's recent work as it does any of Willie's recent recordings. What does come as a surprise is how well the combination works. Nelson has always tended towards vocal interpretations that bring out the bluesy, relaxed, even resigned feelings in the material. Songbird's music, however, underpins this world-weary feel with a much greater intensity than we are used to from a Willie Nelson album. His version of "Amazing Grace" is positively spooky, with a gothic organ bringing out the element of fear present in the song. Adam's own "Blue Hotel, " along with Gram Parson's "$1000 Wedding," rock strongly alongside Nelson's wistful voice. Fans of pure country will be satisfied with Nelson's one original contribution, "Back To Earth," as well as the waltz- tempo "Sad Songs and Waltzes" and good-time vibe of "We Don't Run". Whatever the tune, Adams has drawn out Willie's laid-back pop instincts and married them to his own more forceful musical approach. And as with any good marriage, both parties seem to be enriched by the presence of the other.

Opening with an orchestral flourish called "A New Beginning," Jeremy Enigk's latest album may not sound completely new to those familiar with his earlier work, but this record still shows him stepping forward into territory quite different from his days leading Sunny Day Real Estate. Enigk has never been afraid to rock out, but with World Waits he also shows he knows how to temper these instincts with mellower moments. The song's emotional focus is largely one of melancholy hopefulness, and Enigk relies on layers of acoustic guitars, pianos, and other keyboards to propel the tunes forward. He even puts a mandolin front-and-center on "Dare A Smile," a move unimaginable in his early days. Enigk also laces these songs with background vocals containing their own separate melody lines. This not only makes the tunes more interesting and laden with hooks, it also emphasizes how Enigk seems to be emphasizing the "roll" as much as the "rock" in his current songwriting. Indeed, some of these songs positively swing along atop their largely acoustic foundation. There is no lack of punch, however, with "Been There Before" and "City Tonight" being just two of the standouts in this regard. For fans of melodic, lushly produced, and at times anthemic indie-rock, this is a standout album.