Record Rack

The Willie Nelson-Beck duet “Drivin’ Nails in My Coffin” (a Jerry Irby song that was a hit in 1946 for both Floyd Tillman and Ernest Tubb) leads off this collection of country, western and Tex-Mex songs new and old. Beck’s clearly no cowboy, and his angst-filled quaver fades into the background next to Willie’s venerable, unmistakable tenor. The other cuts--from Hank Williams and Vaughn Monroe to Marty Stuart and Don Walser--are solid enough, with Walser’s “I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms”) the heart-on-sleeve emotional highlight.

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