Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin
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Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin is the sixty-fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. After being awarded the Gershwin Prize by the Library of Congress, Nelson recorded a set of pop standards written by George and Ira Gershwin. The recording of the album was produced by Buddy Cannon and Matt Rollings. It includes the duets "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" with Cyndi Lauper and "Embraceable You" with Sheryl Crow.[1]
To select the songs for the album, Nelson was inspired by the Frank Sinatra recordings of Gershwin songs. Meanwhile, he decided to name the album after the song "Summertime", based on his past election to name a previous hit record Stardust On January 19, Nelson a video of the title-track as a preview to the release.[2] The album was released by Legacy Recordings on February 26, 2016. Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin won the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album award at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017.[3]
Reception
In its first week, the album sold 13,000 copies. It debuted at number one on the Traditional Jazz and Top Jazz Albums Billboard charts, becoming Nelson's third album to top the latter. Meanwhile, it reached number fourteen in Top Album Sales and reached forty in the Billboard 200.[4] The album has sold 35,000 copies in the United States as of August 2016[update].[5]
Personnel
- Cyndi Lauper - duet vocals on "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off"
- Sheryl Crow - duet vocals on "Embraceable You"
- Willie Nelson - acoustic guitar, lead vocals
- Bobbie Nelson - Hammond B-3 organ, piano
- Mickey Raphael - harmonica
- Kevin Smith - bass guitar
- Matt Rollings - piano, Hammond B-3 organ, Wurlitzer
- Jay Bellerose - drums
- David Piltch - bass guitar
- Dean Parks - electric guitar, acoustic guitar
- Paul Franklin - steel guitar
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "But Not for Me" | 3:16 |
| 2. | "Somebody Loves Me" | 2:14 |
| 3. | "Someone to Watch Over Me" | 4:05 |
| 4. | "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off (featuring Cyndi Lauper)" | 3:06 |
| 5. | "It Ain't Necessarily So" | 4:28 |
| 6. | "I Got Rhythm" | 2:47 |
| 7. | "Love is Here to Stay" | 3:23 |
| 8. | "They All Laughed" | 2:44 |
| 9. | "Embraceable You (featuring Sheryl Crow)" | 3:38 |
| 10. | "They Can't Take That Away from Me" | 2:54 |
| 11. | "Summertime" | 3:52 |
Charts
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[6] | 82 |
| US Billboard 200[7] | 40 |
| US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[8] | 1 |
References
- ^ "Legacy Recordings Set to Release Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin on Friday, February 26, 2016". PR Newswire. PR Newswire Association LLC. January 12, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
- ^ Moss, Marissa (January 19, 2016). "See Willie Nelson Preview Gershwin Tribute LP With 'Summertime'". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media LLC. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- ^ Editors, Vulture (6 December 2016). "Here Are Your 2017 Grammy Winners". Vulture. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
{{cite news}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Caulfield, Keith (March 10, 2016). "Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Willie Nelson Nabs Third No. 1 Album on Jazz Chart". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
- ^ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|website=(help) - ^ Ryan, Gavin (March 5, 2016). "ARIA Albums: The 1975 Have the No 1 Album in Australia". Noise11. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ^ "Willie Nelson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- ^ "Willie Nelson Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard.
