AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
The Little Willies is the name of the country music side project from singer Norah Jones. The group has just released its second album called "For the Good Times."
Critic Meredith Ochs has our review.
MEREDITH OCHS: For an album called "For the Good Times," Little Willies fill it up with some heart-wrenching material. These five friends started getting together in 2003 on a casual basis to play honky-tonk, outlaw country and Western swing favorites. But on this new release, they often veer toward themes of unrelenting dissatisfaction and cheating hearts, portrayed in songs like this one by the Stanley Brothers.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I WORSHIP YOU")
OCHS: A large part of The Little Willies' magic is their chemistry as a band. Richard Julian's voice provides a nice counterpoint to Norah Jones' jazzy inflection. And guitarist Jim Campilongo's string-bending wizardry crests spectacularly before diving back into the ensemble.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WIDE OPEN ROAD")
OCHS: The Little Willies clearly have a great love for all sorts of country music, but their approach doesn't always work. Some of these songs left me pining for a less pretty and more gritty interpretation. They're most successful when they tackle upbeat Western swing, or ballads that compliment the gentle beauty of Norah Jones' voice.
But the band members' impressive creativity also lends itself well to obscure cover tunes, like this oddball pick, written by Quincy Jones for the 1967 film "In the Heat of the Night."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FOWL ON THE PROWL")
OCHS: So, the Little Willies don't ache like Hank Williams, or possess Loretta Lynn's feisty nature, though they cover both artists on this CD. What they bring to these classic tunes is an extraordinary marriage of relaxed camaraderie and technical excellence. They're all incredible players, but they're also just a bunch of friends who are in it for each other, and for the sake of the songs.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "JOLENE")
CORNISH: The new album from The Little Willies is called "For the Good Times." You can hear two songs from the album at NPRMusic.org.
Reviewer Meredith Ochs is a DJ and talk show host with Sirius XM Radio.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "JOLENE")