1. Roly Poly 2. I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive 3. Love Me 4. It's Not You It's Me 5. Best of All Possible Worlds 6. No Place To Fall 7. Roll On 8. Gotta Get Drunk 9. Streets of Baltimore 10. Easy As The Rain 11. Tennessee Stud 12. Night Life 13. Lou Reed
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One of the freshest country albums of the year comes not out of Nashville, but rather New York, from a sporadic band with the unlikely (and somewhat suggestive) moniker of the Little Willies. At times, the fivesome (named in homage to Willie Nelson) hearkens to the great historic western-swing bands--crack, loose-limbed musicians fronted by a hypnotically sublime girl singer. If that sleepy female voice (and her distinctive piano) sounds astonishingly like Norah Jones, that's because it is Jones, exploring the country side of the blues. The group--rounded out by Lee Alexander (bass), Jim Campilongo (electric guitar), Richard Julian (guitar, vocals), and Dan Rieser (drums)--formed in 2003 to play the Living Room on New York's Lower East Side and just do the classic American music they grew up enjoying. That's why their low-key labor of love, recorded without commercial expectations and promoted under the radar, includes both originals (including the achingly sweet "Easy as the Rain") and covers of Hank Williams's "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive"; Nelson's "I Gotta Get Drunk" and "Nightlife"; Kris Kristofferson's "Best of All Possible Worlds"; Townes Van Zandt's "No Place to Fall"; and Leiber & Stoller's "Love Me" (made great by Elvis Presley). Throughout, the record maintains the slightly inebriated, bar-band feel of a live club performance, especially on "Lou Reed," a very funny saga of a cow-tipping incident possibly involving the dark rocker. This is an extraordinary record, not only for its musicianship, but for the infectious joy and exuberance of performers who remember just how fun it is to play music from the inside out. --Alanna Nash Got the Willies?  New York City The Peter Malick Group featuring Norah Jones |  Jim Campilongo and the 10 Gallon Cats Jim Campilongo |  Slow New York Richard Julian |  Come Away with Me Norah Jones |  Table for One Jim Campilongo |  Feels Like Home Norah Jones | Album Description
THE LITTLE WILLIES are Lee Alexander, Jim Campilongo, Norah Jones, Richard Julian and Dan Rieser. On their self-titled debut CD they cover a range of songs by Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Townes Van Zandt and Fred Rose, as well as bandmember originals.
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The Little Willies
- Audio CD: 0 pages (2006-03-07)
- Publisher: Milking Bull Records/EMI
- Label: Milking Bull Records/EMI
- Format: Enhanced
- Studio: Milking Bull Records/EMI
- Average Customer Review:
based on 67 reviews
- Sales Rank in Music: #5423
Avg. Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Jones and co. "re-imagine" country classics 2008-10-17
Comment: I wish I could give this three and a half stars, because I just don't think it is a four star album. With that said, this is still a favorite in my collection! If you haven't gathered, the little willies are a "super group" of sorts who on this album are bringing us some of the favorite country songs we've grown up with in a new light. This album has a little bit of everything, western swing flavor on "Best of all possible Worlds", "I gotta get drunk" and of course "Roly Poly". Songs "Love Me" and "Night Life" have a decidedly blues-jazz influence. "Streets of Baltimore", "East as the Rain" and my personal favorite, "It's not you, it's me." Have more of a country flare but, by no means, are they decidedly country.
If your looking for a purely country album then this probably isn't for you, but I've found it to be a great spin weather your sitting on the front porch with your hound dog or in on your apartment balcony with your poodle in the city :)
Dan in Oklahoma -
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great additon to Norah Jones Collection 2008-05-27
Comment: This was a little unknown album with Norah Jones. It was a great album. The handling of the item was quick and service was outstanding. Highly recommend.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: A gem I stumbled upon... 2008-04-06
Comment: Not every track on this album "wows" me, but by and large it is a terrific album. If you like good song writing, this is must have. I think that I like Nora Jones best in this setting - collaborating with other artists. The lead guitar, the melodies and lyrics, and the tone of most of these songs are pure pleasure to listen to.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Merle Haggard Once Did a Tribute Album to Bob Wills... 2008-03-10
Comment: I felt compelled out of necessity to add my comment that this album's kick-off track - "Roly Poly" - is, without a doubt, a tip of the hat to the great Bob Wills, the subject of Merle Haggard's 1970 release, A Tribute to the Best Damn Fiddle Player in the World. "Roly Poly" is track #9 on Merle's album, by the way. It is also worth noting that this style of music is known as Texas swing, not country & western. Norah Jones fans may or may not enjoy this record - it depends how open they are to other forms of pop music.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: A little on the weak side 2007-12-18
Comment: More country twang than I imagined with Richard Julian sounding a bit too much like Lyle Lovett, but the CD is fun just the same. Not that I mind Lyle Lovett, but Richard doesn't seem to have a voice of his own, unlike Norah who livens this CD up with her immediately recognizable vocals. Not sure what Cow Tipping has to do with Lou Reed, but Norah and Richard sound like they were having fun on this song. The CD is nicely packaged. Little in the way of liner notes, which makes this CD seem more like a lark than anything else. Hoping for something more substantial to come along soon.
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