Willie Nelson remains the hardest-working musician around. Through volume alone he has cemented himself as a prolific creative. But then you look at his touring schedule, the constantly shifting reasons as to why he remains an active performer. This is no more a job than a way of life for Nelson, who, like Chuck Berry and Bob Dylan, knows only the road. Touring, travelling, and turning out album after album is what he knows, and to do anything else would be to die. We are lucky, then, that Nelson can still hold a tune, turn a strong message, and test contemporary country. It is direly needed. Those who are set to replace Nelson as the next faces of the country and western genre simply do not have what it takes. Not because we can compare them to Nelson, but because the work itself pales in comparison to even the most middle-of-the-road efforts from the legendary performer. Take Dream Chaser as an example, it’s a stretch better than most new offerings, but still not great.
Nelson does not get a free pass just for being a legendary performer. No chance. Dream Chaser is reliant not just on Nelson, but on Buddy Cannon too. His hands are all over this piece and not just the writing. Dylan provides some words for I Can’t Read Your Mind, a track which will no doubt engulf the album. But for now, the title track is all we have. Dream Chaser is solid work from a veteran of the stage. By now, those who are wondering whether to listen to this latest from Nelson should already know what they want. If they’re a fan of the man’s work, particularly the last few years, then you may as well carry on down the road Nelson is walking, because it doesn’t seem like he’s stopping any time soon. An almost inevitable focus on the past comes through on Dream Chaser, but it’s some of Nelson’s finest, late-stage work.
Chasing the crazy dream proved a success for the Whiskey River songwriter, and he muses on that well enough with Dream Chaser. It’s not until he starts feeding in the details, a semi-autobiographical song which feels broad enough that it can be applied to many of Nelson’s contemporaries, that the title becomes that much clearer. Solid work from Nelson is not a guarantee, but it’s hard to name a time when the veteran songwriter has not offered as much in the last decade. Dream Chaser may filter through a few cliché moments, but it’s touch-and-go in that way, but the sentimentality wins out in the end. For those who stuck with Nelson in the latter days of his career, these moments will feel like reflective tearjerkers.
You can figure out the depths of the song on just one listen, but the easy-going nature of Nelson’s country style is enough of a reason to return to it. Hardly a barnstormer, never a boring moment, Dream Chaser is the fine line that Nelson has walked for some time now. Likeable country sentimentality from one of the best to ever do it, and perhaps the best to still be doing it. His voice sounds stronger here than it has in previous years, and it would appear that much of this material has been written by Nelson while at home. But home for him is on the road, and hearing him write of it once more with conviction, even when it feels like he’s running out of words and synonyms, is still a charming experience.
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