Country-rock classics covered with aplomb

Self-Titled The Little Willies Milking Bull Records

out of

Rocks Like: Gram… Self-Titled The Little Willies Milking Bull Records

out of

Rocks Like: Gram Parsons, Willie Nelson, Neko Case

The Little Willies formed in pretty much the same fashion as most bands: they were a group of friends who enjoyed playing music together, shared similar tastes and decided to put something together.

But this group of friends included an eight-time Grammy winner (Norah Jones), an underground folk legend (Richard Julien) and a former member of Marcy Playground (Dan Rieser).

With their shared interest in American folk and country, they decided to play some shows in a Lower East Side club. From those shows arose what would be become The Little Willies’ first album, a collection of classic folk and country songs from the likes of Willie Nelson, Fred Rose and Kris Kristofferson, as well as a few original numbers.

On the album’s opening number “Roly Poly,” a Fred Rose-composed tune, the group combines jazzy guitar lines with saloon-style piano over the dual vocals of Norah Jones and Richard Julien.

The dual vocals add a vaudevillian feel to the song, but Jones outshines Julien most of the time. While she is normally known for her soft, jazzy voice, Miss Jones turns on the engine and channels the Motown soul throughout the album. When Jones sings “Roly Poly scrambled eggs for breakfast,” she rips apart “scrambled” like a true soul singer.

If you’re a fan of country-rock from back in the day, some of the songs might be familiar to you – especially “Streets of Baltimore” and “Tennessee Stud.” “Streets of Baltimore,” made famous by Gram Parson’s version, is a pretty standard cover of the tune with a bit of updating and Julien’s vocals. Again, the song is highlighted only when Jones’ voice rings through in the background.

“Tennessee Stud,” a Jimmy Driftwood song made popular by the Man in Black, also suffers from being compared to the more famous renditions. Julien’s voice does not sound authentic, as did Johnny Cash’s. Of course, the pairing of Julien and Jones’ voices may lead some to recall Cash singing along with June Carter.

One of the finest tracks on the album is “I’ll Never Get out of This World Alive,” which is another Fred Rose composition put to a new twist that sounds eerily like Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #12 ‘ 35.” Combining clomping piano, swirling organs and sloppy guitar, it’s a sing-along foot-stomper that sounds like it should be played in a southern roadhouse.

The one point in which The Little Willies falls short is when they write their own material. While their covers pay fair homage to the greats of the past, their originals sound like knock-offs and B-sides.

The song “Lou Reed” is one of the examples of this mistake, as they sing about “driving through West Texas” and watching Lou Reed cow tipping. The authenticity is not there the way it was with bands like Whiskeytown or Wilco. A group of New Yorkers can’t grasp the country like the people who actually lived there.

Any fan of Norah Jones will be interested in hearing The Little Willies, as would any fan of classic folk and country who wants to hear the classics reinterpreted. It’s a little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n’ roll.