Stardust

Pleasant enough re-workings of standards, but I'm not blown away by this

Willie Nelson singing standards with a bit of country flavor. That's not something I would have ever expected even existed. It's good for at least the first half. Willie has the right voice for this (although it does seem a bit too low and slowed down at times). The arrangements are great. But it gets a little boring by the end. Georgia On My Mind is the only song that I really loved, and that may just be because I love the song. Ray Charles does it much better, but Willie's version is different enough to be great in its own way. 3.5

Willie Nelson is a name I've heard for years, but his music was foreign to me until I first heard Stardust. Nelson gave all ten songs his own country twist and it turned out nice and simple.

I actually kind of enjoyed this, and wasn't expecting a more atmospheric, jazz-leaning pop country album from Willie Nelson. There's practically zero trace of the outlaw/bandit stylings which set my teeth on edge, in favour of some genuinely lovely, delicate soundscapes. I'm not sure I recognise any of the original versions of these covers, so I might have to seek them out to know if they've been dealt ample justice here, but my unlearned assumption would be that they have.

Might use this album to help me sleep, and I mean that in the best way possible. Just nice, relaxing and pretty unassuming for 35 mins; could totally imagine hearing Georgia On My Mind or September Song in some dimly lit chill bar late at night. Probably better for background listening cause there isn’t a great deal of variety here but I guess there doesn’t need to be

Sometimes there’s a lot to be said about a simple idea done well- and this is very much a case of that. The purity of willies voice and the sheer quality of the songs of the American songbook result in this slight but lovely album

Willie coming across stoned as Sesame Street on this album

Fløde musik. Man skal ikke have for meget af det. Men en gang i mellem er det okay

Great vocal performance but a bit low energy for everyday listening

Kauniita klassikkokappaleita selkeän yksinkertaisesti sovitettuna, konstailematonta omalla tavallaan kaunista laulua, erinomaista torkkumusiikkia (hyvällä tavalla)

Wouldn't be my pick for when I want to listen to Willie, but wonderful arrangements, and his unique voice adds great color to these pop standards.

snoozefest, kontam da zene od 50+ gotive ovo

Willie Nelson, live from the cocktail lounge!

A nice record that I enjoyed every minute of. But prefer Willie’s actual country stuff over his interpretations (good as they are) of standards.

Very very very very bland, and not very memorable in any way.

Easy listening - probably more enjoyable as background music than solely for entertainment as its not the most engaging or interesting in terms of variety. There's definitely a time and mood for this.

Incredible for bed time

Amo a Willie Nelson, y amo también las canciones clásicas del american songbook. Uno pensaría que escuchar un álbum con Willie Nelson interpretando clásicos como Stardust, All Of Me o Someone To Watch Over Me sería increíble... pero no tanto. No es que el disco esté mal. La voz de Willie es genial y tiene buenos arreglos, pero algo no conectó conmigo y estas nuevas versiones. La verdad lo sentí un poco aburrido. Supongo que it wasnt a match made in heaven.

Some classics on here. Really nice relaxing country music.

Lovely if a bit sleepy

The words that kept coming to mind as I listened to this were 'pleasant' and 'sleepy'. I listened to it early in the morning, but I think it would work better as a winding-down-for-the-night sort of listen.

I love Willie Nelson, but this is far from his best output. Good for background music at a dinner party but this is not him at his rebellious outlaw best.

No problem with Willie, but slow and a lot of covers

Album 21 Top 3 favorites off the album: Georgia On My Mind, All of Me, Moonlight in Vermont This is a bit of a rambling review (which ones aren't, though?), so bear with me. A pleasant listen, as usual. It was fun to listen to a full cover album! I don't do much of that! Everything was fairly relaxed as far as tempo, and Nelson's reimagining of these songs gave them a different life. I especially enjoyed All of Me; while I'm not always a country enjoyer, I have to give it credit for being a genre that is fairly adaptable and has been pretty good as a vehicle for a lot of different types of fusion. I *am* an avid jazz enjoyer, and happily give it credit for the same. Put those two together, and this take on All of Me is just phenomenal. Don't Get Around Much Anymore reminds me of music at the Stardrop Saloon in Stardew Valley. I am a casual Willie Nelson enjoyer, and he's an artist my brother and I have in common. He also reminds me of a gift from my best friend. Yay Stardust! Yay good music!

a very relaxing slow country track. nothing inspirational and i guess all songs are just covers but cant go wrong with willie nelson. great vocals, great guitar. the album equivalent of a straight-a-student

Willie Nelson covers some great songs. Not the thing that I come to this list for, but pretty good all the same

Perfectly enjoyable covers, but nothing groundbreaking. It's not what Willie Nelson is best at, frankly, but it all sounds nice.

I really enjoyed this one, the harmonica was awesome.

I know Willie Nelson has a lot of music, but when I read it was his 22nd studio album….I mean, wtf. I asked Grok how many he has. He has fucking 104 studio albums (78 solo + 26 collaborative ones). Mind-blowing. It’s a full cover album, all of the songs are American standards (Great American Songbook), but performed in Willie Nelson’s style. Some facts: - Stayed at #1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart for years (over a decade in total on the charts) - Sold more than 5 million copies in the US alone - Produced three #1 country hits: "Georgia on My Mind," "Blue Skies," and "All of Me" Great. upd. And it's Ron Swanson's favorite artist, it means it's automatically top-tier artist 3/5 ———————————— Liked songs: — Blue Skies — Unchained Melody — Someone to Watch Over Me

Very pleasant to listen to. Beautiful cover versions of some well known songs like Unchained Melody, On the Sunny Side of the Street and Georgia on my Mind. Willie Nelson not doing his normal thing here I think. 3 out of 5

Very pleasant.

It's quite pleasant, but it's nothing spectacular

Shame about the singing

very cosy, can feel myself curling up infront of my nonexistent fireplace with my nonexistent rocking chair. A cup of hot chocolate with mini marshmellows and knitted quilt and dozing off.

Stardust - 3 Georgia on my mind - 4 Blue skies - 4 All of me - 3 Unchained melody - 4 September song - 3 On the sunny side of the street - 3 Moonlight in Vermont - 3 Don't get around much anymore - 3 Someone to watch over me - 3

Certainly not my type of music, but I found the album both soothing and enjoyable. 7/10

That's a bit of a weird one for me. Quite a few of the tracks on this album are favourites of mine, but they were all recorded by someone else. The other versions seem far superior to the versions on this album, but I do appreciate that opinion may mostly be borne out of familiarity. That being said, I'm not a fan of his vocals at all. A 3 feels about right, it's nowhere near a 4 for me and a 2 is probably slightly too low.

actually was more interesting and chill than i thought it would be Would I listen again? Maybe Deserves to be on this list? Probably 3.4

Pleasant but unmemorable

okay but not my jam

Nice. A move away from the country that Nelson is most loved for. A good album for before bed but not really my favourite from him

Inoffensive and charming but forgettable

Sure it's a bunch of covers but it's easy listening. Fave track: Georgia on My Mind

Way too slow for my liking. I can see why other people like it. All the songs fit the album well, just not my cup of tea. Album art is also beautiful.

The only other cover album I've listened to completely was Weezer Teal, and this is better than that. Why don't artists make cover albums anymore? Also Willie Nelson is still alive?!?!?!?!? What the heck I thought he's been dead for years.

Grandpa hive rise up!

yes, it's a cover album. yes, the production kinda sounds like a karaoke machine. but somehow everything comes together as a nice, warm package. 3.5

Eh

Undeniably a classic, full of what have become staple tracks in the rock canon. Only not that exciting to me.

I do like Willie’s version of Georgia. Such a great song. The rest is ok. At least not country.

It's pleasent ebough, but boardering on bland

Exactly as I expected.

Beautiful but kind of boring

On album, not sure about some of the covers. Felt weird to hear Willie Nelson singing the dirty dancing song. Also how is this guy still alive. Specific rating - 3.5 Fav song- blue skies Least fav- Unchained melody

Yup, that's Willie

Really liked the first 3 songs. It seems like a more mellow vibe than the Last Willie Nelson album. Im not saving any of them, but I may go back to this album every so often

Really solid covers of a bunch of great songs. Not mind-blowing or anything but I can’t fault this and he does a great job making them his own.

Listens: 1 Standout Tracks: Moonlight In Vermont I really did not expect this kind of intimate album from Willie Nelson. I don't know what I was really expecting, I guess country music, but I was not expecting this. It was pleasant, but largely unrelatable, except for Moonlight In Vermont. I happen to be in Vermont right now, although it is definitely not a clear night. It is in fact snowing. It would be especially touching if it was a clear full moon.

Irgendwie nice zu Weihnachten Stimmung gepasst Hätte ich aber vermutlich nie selbst gehört

Album No. 0100 on my list (yay!) Actually my very first time listening to Willie Nelson! I don't really know why, but I haven't listened to him before - at least not that I can remember. Not sure why, always found him to be a cool guy. In any case, I was really looking forward to this. However, I found the album to just be okay. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad album - not at all. But I'm not crazy about it either. It's a cool, laid back album with cover versions of pop songs. The laid back style is actually the coolest part to me. I will add "Stardust", "Georgia on my Mind", and "Unchained Melody" to my playlist. 3/5 stars.

Pleasant but sleepy

This was a nice relaxing album, and although I'm not sure if there are many cover bangers in here. However I found it very "backgroundish" - I think there are other WN songs I enjoy more (as demonstrated once Spotify started to play recommendations after the end of the album)

Thought this was lobby music at first but I warmed to it by the end

I like Willie Nelson's vibe, but he can't really sing all that well.

This one didn't hit for me like "Red Headed Stranger" did.

Decent album for me. I have a few favorite tracks, but nothing stood out to me too much. Love the chill and nostalgic vibes of the album overall. It's good background music for doing chores around the house or decorating for Christmas. Favorite tracks from the first listen: All of Me, Unchained Melody, September Song, On the Sunny Side of the Street.

Since Wikipedia said this album was a cover of Pop Standards I decided to listen to some older versions of the songs to compare. I really liked "On the Sunny Side of the Street". While it was very country it also felt jazzy and out of all of the tracks kept the most big band/jazz influence from previous versions. Overall I liked the older versions better than Willie Nelsons.

Very boring

georgia and vermont mentioned.

The scene I visualise when hearing this album is making a cup of tea, with the rain in the background and just wanting to hear something soothing. Giving this a ⭐⭐⭐

Maybe listening to this in my morning commute was the best decision. First song kicks in and I feel like Im a character in a movie montage. I feel like people are a bit harsh on this one. It's a solid record. His rendition of each song makes sense for who he is as a musician. Notable Tracks: Stardust, September Song, Blue Skies

Right on the verge. A really pleasant listen. So much so, I gave it a second listen to see if it made it to a 4. Felt the same about it, so I’ll go with the initial rating of (a high) 3.

Pretty cool

Meh

Good folk but not standout or memorable for me I fear

Easy listening of American standards. It’s a nice sunset album. (3.5)

Not bad at all, but a bit boring still

Voða fallegar ábreiður en ég myndi seint velja þessa útgáfu fram yfir originalinn

Djöfull hefur Willie Nelson verið lengi til.

Willie Nelson is cool but this album is boring. Nice version of "Unchained Melody," though after Roy Orbison set that song on fire I don't know why anyone else ever bothers.

I do love a compilation of good cover songs. Somehow this is Christmas music without it actually being a Christmas album.

Willie Nelson does covers. Very pleasant.

It was chill and I liked it on background 3/5 the second to last song was peak

was setting myself up to expect the worst. Wasn't too bad.

Stare af, ale muzycznie ok

Fuck yeah smoke weed man

Nice enough. There’s better Willie Nelson though. That said, he really can reinterpret a song.

A beautiful album full of covers, Willie Nelson's fragile yet beautiful voice shines in it, yet there is not a lot in it for me to make it really stand out. It is an honest but unfortunately slightly unremarkable record. 3/5

This feels like someone's grandpa singing to you :)

cozy country nothing complicated has some nice covers

i am of two minds about this album. as always, willie provides a chilled out, laid back album that is really pleasant to listen to. this album goes down like butter. although it is comprised of mostly ballads, it is not really all that dull. a nice rainy day album. that being said, the album genre of "established artist from another genre does an album of pop standards" does not really do much for me. the songs are nice and are classics for a reason, but i don't know that i'm really looking for willie nelson's take on 1930s swing. because of this dichotomy, i felt the end result to be a bit middling. it's pleasant, but that's about it.

Stardust is an album that won me over more through atmosphere than individual songs. Going in, I was already hesitant — I’ve never been a huge fan of older country music, and learning this was a collection of pop standards made me even more unsure. Still, Willie Nelson’s willingness to completely follow his own instincts deserves respect, especially coming from someone associated with outlaw country. The album has a warm, laid-back feel throughout, with lovely compositions and clean vocal performances that fit the material well, even if the record rarely moved me emotionally. Songs like “Georgia on My Mind” and “Blue Skies” helped me understand what Nelson was aiming for: relaxed, timeless arrangements where the mood matters more than big moments. “Moonlight in Vermont” was a standout, and tracks like “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” and “Someone to Watch Over Me” showed how well the jazzy atmosphere ties the whole album together. Not every track worked for me, though. “All of Me” and “September Song” felt overly dated, and his take on “Unchained Melody” was disappointing considering how much I love that song. Nelson keeps it too restrained, missing the emotional lift that makes the original so powerful. Even so, I came away appreciating the album more than I expected. It’s not one of my favourites, but there’s a consistent vibe here that slowly sinks in over multiple listens. I can easily see myself throwing this on during a quiet, relaxing afternoon.

Pretty good, nice slow and sleepy album for a Friday morning.

Really enjoyed it. Reminded me a lot of some of my favourite artists, like Kermit the Frog, or Rowlf the Dog.

This was a good cover album.

Koselig. Ligger på 3.5, runder opp 👍 Edit: Runder ned i stedet, har irritert meg en stund at jeg rata 4 her. Fortsatt veldig bra og noe jeg kommer til å høre på i ettertid.

At first, I did not like the album at all. But it grew on me. Once I got past the belief that I "didn't like Willie Nelson" it actually became quite nice. He has a good voice. There were a couple of songs on the album that I didn't think quite worked for him but the rest were pretty good.

Willie sings sad songs about falling out of love. No complaints

Meget fint album. Kunne godt lide det. Det var dejlig stille og roligt. 6-7/10

Lindo, pero aburrido. Nota: 2.7

Pas mal. Pas mon style de musique mais pas désagréable

Nice album, great covers. Willie has such a nice voice, great for this kind of covers. Will listen to Willie again.

Good ol Willie. Not sure how else to really describe his work besides that it uniquely him and that I always manage to like it to some degree.

11/1001 прикольно, но очень под нужное настроение

вайбик деревни в штатах сидишь на веранде какого нибудь бара вечером пьешь виски смотришь на звезды топчик

Love Willie Nelson, love his cover of Georgia on my mind, but the rest is kind of middlin'

Cover songs in Willie's unique style. Ok.

It was nice enough, but I got bored after the second song

Nice easy listening

Enjoyable listen but not something I would see myself revisiting often.

Really enjoyed some of the songs. Will probably never listen again

Nothing groundbreaking, but very solid, chill tracks start to finish.

Ну неплохо. Спокойно, не фанат, но признаю, что кому-то нравится.

Couldn't have told you what Willie sounded like before listening to this. Easy listening but nothing special

Willie singing covers of old classics. I wouldn’t say that there was a lot of value add. It was a nice listen but not a great album.

(Genre = Country-Pop) 1. Stardust - 8/10 2. Georgia On My Mind - 6/10 3. Blue Skies - 7/10 4. All of Me - 5/10 5. Unchained Melody - 5/10 6. September Song - 3/10 7. On The Sunny Side Of The Street - 5/10 8. Moonlight In Vermont - 8/10 9. Don't Get Around Much Anymore - 6/10 10. Someone To Watch Over Me - 7/10 (Album Rating = 6/10) As someone who doesn't listen to country music that much, I can appreciate this album for what it is. I love 70s and 80s music, so I really like the authentic and older vibes to this album, but am not too fond of the harmonica in basically all the songs. It was fine to listen to this album, but I wouldn't listen to it again. Did add a few songs to my playlists tho!

Classic country, about as country as I can go. But listenable.

I wasn't really expecting an album of jazzy old standards but who am I to complain

The front half of this was fun, but the back half really started to feel like more of the same arrangement over and over while Willie Nelson continues to greatly reduce the vocal range and dynamics of a lot of fun songs.

3/5

As a covers album, this has a great selection of songs. Willie isn't the most technically capable singer, but his voice has character, and the arrangements have more to them than a standard country LP. Admittedly by the end I was a little bored, but it was still a pleasant listen. A high 3.

𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵 shows Willie Nelson’s softer, nostalgic side. His takes on American standards are warm and sincere, though a bit too gentle at times. It’s beautifully sung and easy to enjoy, but feels more like mellow evening listening than one of his truly essential works.

A much more enjoyable woeful than his previous work reviewed.

19 & 20.10.25 #21 Favourite Tracks: unchained Mellody. Someone to watch over me Rate: 7/10 A nice album to listen while camping

I just didn’t enjoy these covers, but I’ll give an extra star cause it’s Willie!

I associate Willie Nelson very much with my dad. I also think of Willie Nelson as being quite old. This album was released in the year i was born and he already sounds old (checks notes he’s 92, so was younger than i am now when he released this) That said his voice is quite pleasant and i am surprised how much i like his version of Georgia on my mind. The covers are generally pleasant enough, but not sure unchained melody really works for Willie

First time listening to Willie Nelson. I know it's just a covers album but what a sweet little album it was. I'm glad I waited till evening to listen to it, it was the right mood for it 3/5

Pretty good.

Great introduction to him for me, most of the songs were ones that I was familiar with since it is a cover album. Peaceful, calming, nothing on the album is to loud, fast, or aggressive.

A simplicity in instrumentation and voice that is somewhere between endearing and somewhat boring at times. For many of the classics that are covered I prefer other versions.

Arranjos minimalistas e interpretações contidas fazem deste, um disco singelo e belo.

Excellent first few tracks Lovely on a Sunday evening Everything about Willie that you love (but very chill and gentle jazzy undertones)

Charming & classic

Gotta live some Willie!

I dig Willie! This was a fine album. Even for Willie though, this just felt dated. Solid 3 stars

Words I would use to describe this album: earnest, quaint, simple, romantic, smooth. This isn't my type of music, but it was a really pleasant listen. It felt like a warm summer breeze; the love was oozing out of it at points. The simplicity/stripped-back nature of some of the songs made for an intimate listen.

My Stardust Melody 1001 Albums Generator 134 (10/07/2025) I understand that Stardust is not the usual fair for Willie Nelson, the so-called King of Outlaw Country, but it is quite beautiful. There's something about these covers that just feel so romantic. Something that I appreciated on second listen was the instrumental lushness on display. There are these subtle strings, pianos, keyboards, and other various bells and whistles throughout these compositions, and they never take focus away from Willie's voice and guitar, but they add to it in really subtle ways. My favorite example of this is on Blue Skies, where there's some sort of organ in the background throughout, as well as piano, harmonica, and strings at various points. I can also appreciate the downright jazziness of some of these arrangements, which mixes with the overall country vibe on display. However, this album gets kind of boring quickly and especially slumps in the middle. The qualities that are so positive at the beginning start to feel a bit cheesy and I don't know if that is due to the quality of the songs truly degrading or if my ears just got tired of the sound, but it was the same on both listens. With that said, Stardust is overall a pretty good album from a country legend, who released this "old man" album nearly 50 years ago and is still releasing music to this day. Respect for that, but I don't see myself coming back to this one often. 3/5. Favs: Georgia On My Mind Blue Skies Don't Get Around Much Anymore Least Fav: On the Sunny Side of the Street

Really nice, especially: All of Me On the Sunny Side of the Street Don't Get Around Much Anymore

Never was a big fan. All ok songs but not too catchy or interesting.

Willie Nelson makes an oldies album

A country singer covering songs from his youth (30s, 40s, 50s) should be pretty unlistenable in 2025 but this actually surprised me. Very laid back and Willies great voice. Decent.

Cute & sweet

Pretty sounds but I’m not a sad divorced man at a country bar. Sadly?

Great easy listen, I just fell asleep twice trying to get through

Very relaxing

Pleasant and inoffensive, not really my thing but can understand the appeal. I understand this is an album of covers, although I was only familiar with Unchained Melody by name.

Molto figo ma non sono una fan della sua voce. Comunque bellissime chitarre.

Not the Willie record I would have chosen as representative of his genius. This is is one of the greatest cover albums of all time, though.

Cover Art Review - Literal, minimal, classic 7/10 This simple cover belies one of the seminal albums of American Standards covered by one of the seminal musicians. Willie puts his stamp on these classics and to say that it went over well is putting mildly - the album is QUINTUPLE PLATINUM. Grammys, CMA awards, it was on the Billboard charts for TEN YEARS. American Treasure singing American Treasures - no skips....rarified air. Interesting fact, Booker T. Jones produced, arranged and performed on the album.

I think cover albums should try to reinvent the songs they are covering, this doesn't really do that. Pleasant enough all the same 3*

When I put this on I found it to be very soothing and relaxing. It also felt very tasteful and stood out from other types downtempo music from this era. But then I found out it's just covers which he handpicked from his favourites. That certainly makes it hard for me to appreciate as much. I guess cover albums can be controversial, and I don't know which side to pick. On one hand, you can just take it face value, in which case it would be a quite nice album. But taking away the fact that he didn't invent any of the songs changes everything at the same time. Feels a bit like doing half the work. I can't think of any artist I respect that has only made covers, for example. I think I'll put myself somewhere in the middle and just give this 3 stars. I enjoyed it for what it was, but I won't recommend it to friends as some sort of top album.

Nice, pleasant.

вроде приятная музыка, но мне такое совсем неинтересно

Good

Willie Nelson's 22nd studio album, an album of sleepy country covers of "pop standards" that won the 1979 Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance ("Georgia On My Mind") and spent TEN YEARS on the Billboard Country Album chart. Willie has one other album on this list, Red Headed Stranger (1975), which is also full of sleepy country ballads; that's just Willie's thing. From that standpoint, Stardust isn't anything new for Willie except that he's covering pop songs, and maybe that's the secret sauce? His voice is not charming but not especially good, and the instrumentation is so sparse you might occasionally forget it's there. Nevertheless, it was a monster hit. It's a little bit like the opposite of Ray Charles's "Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music" (where Ray does 'pop' arrangements of country songs), but I can't justify giving it the same gravitas since it's not breaking as many barriers. It also feels like the Frank Sinatra butchers Bossa Nova album (Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim) I reviewed last week - just as sleepy, but far less awful. "Georgia On My Mind" is a standout, otherwise it doesn't really do anything for me. Probably a great album for putting your kids to bed, but for everything else I think Red Headed Stranger is the better album.

good, didnt love it but id say a low 3

A grizzled country man pouring his heart out.

Cuando vi que se trataba de un álbum de Willie Nelson pensé que la escucha iba a consistir en música country, sin embargo me sorprendí para bien cuando noté que eran versiones de temas de jazz y afines. La grabación suena excelente, y la instrumentación es muy apropiada. Los primeros temas me gustaron mucho, sobre todo la versión de "Georgia On My Mind" que considero sobresaliente. Sin embargo, el resto del álbum recae en los clichés del estilo, sin aportar mucho al mismo. La voz de Nelson no tiene ni la potencia ni el carisma de cantantes como Sinatra, que supieron interpretar mucho mejor músicas de este estilo. Si el álbum hubiese apostado por una interpretación más íntima y original hubiese tenido mejores resultados a mi parecer. Termina siendo un álbum bastante inocente, inocuo, parecido al estilo de Randy Newman, aunque menos molesto.

Solid performance, but for a collection of jazz standards it's not particularly remarkable.

It's just Willie singing songs by someone else. On almost all I preferred the original recording.

Dad- 7 Mom- 5 Mike- NA Lori- 5.5 Michael- 6.5 Miles- NA Cole- NA Avg- 6

It was easy to listen to. It’s just Willie Nelson singing cover songs. I think most of these songs have been done better by other people though.

I've never enjoyed Willie Nelson's voice all that much. His singing sounds to me like he's untying a knot in his throat. That being said, the instrumentation is really nice, though it's subtle. This album fits nicely into a rainy day curled up with a book on the couch.

Yeah, oldie and goldie but kind of lame with some nice songs.

His renditions here are charming, but a bit more sentimental than I would listen to on the regular.

Not my usual listen. Chilled and basic. Enjoyable enough.

My partner was filled with joy while listening to the album. It was a part of her childhood and it was beautiful experiencing that with her. Country is a genre I struggle with getting, but this objectively a cool album from an artist who I respect. I'll explore more in the future, especially seeing the joy from my lover

This isn't at all my favourite style, but Nelson delivers pretty nice covers of these songs. I liked that he doesn't lean that hard into the country side, but has a pretty consistent and specific style to his work, and he showcases it very well here. They're very stripped down, laid-back versions, and most of them work pretty well. "Georgia On My Mind" is a classic and he delivers well, "Unchained Melody" was pretty well done too. "Someone To Watch Over Me" was also good.

3/5 started off strong but got boring too slow

Not a bad slow melody album for a mad stoner

I think it's smart that Willie called this album "Stardust," instead of "Willie sings the songs of George Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Hoagy Carmichael." It's not particularly my cup of tea, but is quite pleasant on the whole. Thank you for your service, Willie.

Not my cup of tea

Fint cover-album!

I like the nylon-string guitar and muted trumpet.

Not sure what I expected; the music is pretty mellow considering Willie Nelson's reputation.

Gorgeous album cover from an artist I am bidding farewell to surprisingly early. It's been 32 albums since I listened to Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger, which I didn't really think much of. It was supposedly a groundbreaking album and I enjoyed the renegade concept, though the actual music didn't do much to hook me. I'm looking forward to giving this guy another go. A bit of a stylistic shift from Red Headed Stranger, which I was gearing up for after judging this album by the cover like all true critics should. I quite like it. There's a robust musical palette on this album, and there's something about this music which is very deeply pleasing. Nelson lends himself nicely to this kind of laid back, refined sound. The title track is a good opener. A very nice acoustic sound, and Willie's vocals are surprisingly quite beautiful. Great lyrics, too. "Blue Skies" is another solid tune. The electric guitar hook and acoustic guitar solo are good and all, though it's the excellent string ambience which really grabs me. "September Song" has an excellent atmosphere. The delicate, echoing piano is fantastic and where the song goes from there is also great - big fan of the organ. "Moonlight in Vermont" is in the same ballpark as the previous track. There's a quaint beauty to this music which really strikes a chord with me. Gonna check the book for why this is in here. Comprised entirely of old-timey standard covers. "...one of the best and most distinctive American singers of any day" - I'm inclined to agree. Stayed on the US charts for 2 years. Yeah, this seems like a solid pick. Nelson really owns these tracks. I cosign this inclusion.

Pleasant. Not a revelation but well done. I won't be on my deathbed thinking "My life is complete because I listened to Startdust".

Meh

It’s enjoyable to listen to Willie sing almost anything with his mellow, restrained, poignant voice, and the arrangements are often lovely.

I love Willie but the covers fell a bit flat and hokey for me. Still, his voice is beautiful.

I prefer the Red Headed Stranger but I enjoyed this

Nice voice, maybe just too mellow for the day

Hearing the Outlaw Country guy take songs from the Great American Songbook was certainly neat, but at the end of the day it was a country covers album. It was okay, but I've heard a few songs from this album covered much better, and the ones I've never heard before weren't particularly mind-blowing. I'm mostly indifferent to the album more than anything.

Bah

Doesn’t set my world alight but very listenable

I like a bit of Willie and this was a pleasant stripped back listen but feel like it never really got going. Stunning unchained melody though

it has its moments

Nice set of covers. I like his voice on these and the vibes are good. 7/10

Enjoyed it more than I expected. Unchained melody covers are always fun

Lovely standards record, runs more like a vocal jazz or pop thing than country, a subdued and sweet listen if a bit samey when Willie's singing and the arrangements feel like they run together, despite that tho I understand the love for it

31/1089 hearing his young(er) voice was a bit of a shock, but it’s so smooth and relaxing stardust was a really nice introduction. very sleepy but not in a bad way necessarily. I may or may not have heard Georgia On My Mind before but I’ve definitely heard reference to it in other songs. I’m not a harmonica fan generally and that song didn’t change that. Blue Skies was sweet and jazzy, the harmonica worked better there for me his version of Unchained Melody is pretty great This album was so calm and nice to listen to, it’s not something i expect to go back to (maybe when i next get a willie nelson album on this list because there must be more here) but i’m glad i heard it. this one’s hard to rate because of the style and the consistency across the tracks (no one track stands greatly over the others) fave: Stardust least fave: Don’t Get Around Much Anymore but i’m thinking 3 stars or 61/100

Willie sure can play that harmonica! Good album, but not something I would normally turn too. I like the variety in the tracks, from up beat to smooth and sad. It's just not my kind of music 5/10

Sweet

Outlaw country som er at det er meget løsrevet og personligt både i produktion og vokal. ellers er det jazzet og countrymusik. Skulle åbenbart have været en karrieredræber, men viser sig at blive en klassiker. Meget minimalistisk og fokus på vokal og stemme. Det er meget smukt synes jeg og meget personligt. Det kan man sagtens høre. Føler man skal være et sted i livet hvor man er meget i ro med sig selv og have fundet fred i en selv. Jeg forestiller mig det er sådan noget man lytter til om mange år hvor det har fået meget mere styrke. Jeg synes ikke det er til mig i mine unge dage endnu. Men det er meget romantisk og kunne sagtens forestille mig at forbinde til det sammen med en partner også.

Very enjoyable despite not being my thing at all. I loved the jazzy ones.

What a beautiful, soothing voice. Considering the fact that this is essentially a folk/country cover album, I found it a surprisingly enjoyable and relaxing listen, containing a couple of gems. I'll revisit this!

Een in principe geen onaardig album van een enigszins croonende Willie Nelson met een heel erg ingehouden jazzbandje erbij. 36 minuten lang liedjes-liedjes. Smaakvolle, lichte composities qua instrumenten. Ik vind het niet onaardig, maar er zitten een aantal tracks tussen die voor mij iets teveel richting het genre slaapliedjes hellen. Een beetje een winterachtig album ook, misschien omdat ik deze hele stijl (ondanks het vleugje country) associeer met kerst. En vandaag wordt het 36 graden en is het in m'n kantoor nu al 26.7 graden Celsius dus dat matcht niet helemaal lekker. Als ik kijk naar m'n recente historie wil ik eigenlijk niet wéér een 3 geven, maar meer of minder kan ik er toch echt niet van maken. Het kon zeker een stuk erger, weinig mis mee.

Songs and Wille's voice are good, but too much a lack of variety for me...

Perfectly pleasant, like a lullaby album sung by Nelson and his soft, lovely voice. Idk why there’s so many cover albums on this list tho! While the art of the cover is to be lauded, I’m not sure there’s a place for them on this list, especially when I think about the albums and artists not represented on it!

i saved a song from this to my playlist and it was blue skies and i want to dedicate it to my girlfriend!!!

this album cover is GOOOORGEOUS WTF???????? i hope i like this! also all i know about him is that beyonce had him on cowboy carter so he must be a legend LMFAO ....okay listened to it and it was so lovely early in the morning as i was getting ready to work out omg. it's pretty! and then some songs were um ok! we love a mixed bag

Hyvää musisointia ja laulua. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I know some people love it (I see you Allison Russell, and the other two people who chose their One by Willie from this album), but it's not my favorite.

Nice, easy listen

Bunicel

Two Willie albums in a row? Dang, how many Willie albums are in this 1001 collection? This is a great melodic album full of more lullabies. I wished for more folk-song-storytelling like on red headed stranger. This album made me realize what a player Willie is/was lol. Pretty album and enjoyable to listen to, but not a lot of variety.

dfdds

Willie Nelson makes the chillest country music.

Soothing one. There are certain good songs while others are just a decent background. As the 1001 list should have stricter criteria, I'll give it 3.4 thus 3 on the five-star scale. Favourite song: "Blue Skies".

I feel like it's a very calm and enjoyable album, not deep or something but just a couple of songs that works together. Fav song - September Song 3/5

Really nice cover of all of me on here. The cover art matches it perfectly.

Good album, all covers though which brings it down a bit

Про эту музыку нельзя сказать ничего плохого. Но и желание слушать её не возникает

What a voice on young Willie. Some great stuff here, but points off for it essentially being a cover album.

I hate not to give this one 5 but it's really not my fave album of his.

Quick country album, I appreciate the harmonica and Willie's vocals.

I like it, but I'd like to hear him singing his own songs vs. the Great American Songbook.

It was enjoyable but why is a cover album on this list and of all ppl willie, the guy has a ton of albums.

Nice

Nice voice, easy to listen to

Somewhere between pensive and languid we find this ultra chilled out collection of arrangements of American standards. And it’s somewhere between “Blue Skies” and “Moonlight…” that I find myself asking why these songs? I was charmed to discover that this pretty random looking assemblage was arrived at during jogs on the Californian sand. The image of Willie getting his exercise in while tossing up whether or not to throw “Unchained Melody” into the mixer too brings me no small measure of joy. The outlaw made an album that feels decidedly “dinner with the in laws” and that’s quite alright by me. I’ll have to try it again when a run on the sand is on the cards. 2.5.

good

Beautiful vocals, wonderful instrumentals, and good variation across the album. However, they are slow, meaningless, and unchanging songs.

I was pleasantly surprised by "Stardust." I quite enjoyed the gentle, bossa nova & jazz influence on Nelson's typical outlaw country.

Uninteresting but very good sounding. I can't imagine that someone doesn't like how Willie Nelson sounds, but that doesn't mean their fun to listen to. I'm sleepy now.

An interesting one and not what I expected. Quite enjoyed

Prettu chill this one

I like this but it’s also fair to say it’s not the most gripping album ever recorded

Very easy listen, especially in the car with the windows down. The start was so strong I thought this was a quick 4, maybe even 5 potential — so I was bummed that the songs veered away from the initial vibe. Still good, still enjoyed.

Pleasant to listen to, calm and soothing

All covers

Questionable lyrics about gay people

Country Music is my worst genre, and I always deduct a point for albums with excessive cover songs(yes, even Led Zeppelin). Be grateful I gave this three stars. The Red Headed Stranger has that ability. Favorite Track: "Blue Skies".

01) Stardust - 6,5 02) Georgia On My Mind - 7,0 03) Blue Skies - 6,5 04) All Of Me - 6,0 05) Unchained Melody - 6,5 06) September Song - 6,0 07) On the Sunny Side of the Street - 6,5 08) Moonlight in Vermont - 6,5 09) Don't Get Around Much Anymore - 6,0 10) Someone to Watch Over Me - 6,0 TOTAL: 6,35 (64/100)

Very good, just not sure I can put it above a 3 being all covers.

A nice relaxing album. Mostly covers. Ironically given to me on July 4th for a listen.

Not my cuppa tea. Didn't know many songs. It was ok.

Love Willie. Love his voice. Much prefer him singing his own songs. This wasn't bad, just not as good as his own material. On top of that, a few songs fell victim to the dreaded 70s country production. Overall OK but not great.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. What a delightful little album. Nothing super special to it, but a very tender and beautiful side of Willie. Loved all the covers, very peaceful and easy to listen to.

ei kuullosta countrylta niin taitavaa poikaa…

I liked it more on the second listen - Bob Dylan needs to get in touch with Willie's harmonica volume mixing guy for his next album.

Unlike Willie Nelson's idiotic record company exec I know the songs, and I like the songs, but I don't like Willie's performance of them. They don't suit him really. If I want to hear this canon of American music there are much more interesting arrangements and vocal talents to listen to. This is not an album that anyone should hear before they die. They were lame covers gobbled up by his lemming audience. Go find the originals, they much more emotionally engaging.

My second Willie Nelson album and very enjoyable. Still not my genre but this felt smoother than the other one and was very pleasant - maybe less overtly country? Very pleasant to listen to.

Mijn grootste probleem met countrymuziek is dat het vaak een beetje allemaal hetzelfde is. En dan vooral qua muziek. De zang is vaak juist heel sterk, countryzangers hebben iets breekbaars in hun stem. Wie dan ook besloten heeft dat Willie vooral een cover album moest maken verdient dan ook wat mij betreft meteen opslag. (Zo te lezen was dat vooral Willie zelf, zn label wilde dit juist absoluut niet) Probleem is wel dat ik een groot deel van de covers ook het origineel al ken. Zo valt een Georgia on my mind toch een beetje vlak in vergelijking met bijvoorbeeld Ray Charles. Maar andere nummers vind ik echt hele mooie versies. Niet alles werkt, maar ik vind Willie echt een fantastische stem hebben. Het is ontzettend country, maar dan eindelijk met wat meer variatie dan "Man speelt gitaar." in de productie. Ja dit is best wel een lekker album eigenlijk. Niet lekker genoeg voor 4 sterren, maar wel een lekker albumpie FAVO: Blue Skies, All of me, Dont get around much anymore

Pretty songs, not many i wanted to save but still easily listenable

Easy listening, exceptional intertwining of piano guitar and harmonica.

This album was good. Not sure I will ever listen to it again. I enjoyed it. 3 Stars

un album di cover country. assolutamente e totalmente inoffensivo

Decent covers but nothing to write home about. Found myself getting tired about halfway through the record.

Probably 3 or 4/5, love me some willie nelson

Considering this was a cover album, I was pretty excited to hear what Willie was going to do. I didn’t mind it, but it is not something I would go out of my way to listen to again.

Enjoyed this album while having a long drive back home through a stormy night. Perfect setting for it. Not sure I would’ve enjoyed it as much otherwise. As a bit of a Sturgill Simpson fan, this album reminds me a lot of him. I’m sure he was inspired by Willy. Added Georgia on my mind and unchained melody

I will say, I have more than a little skepticism towards covers albums, but this is really good. On Stardust, Willie Nelson plays stripped back, intimate interpretations of American pop standards, and he does a damn good job at it. These interpretations sound tender, heartfelt and lovingly assembled, a far cry from the reputation of the covers album as nothing more than a cash grab or bait for discography completionists. Nelson's band sounds great, proving themselves while giving him room to breathe and take center stage. And good thing too, because Willie Nelson is a really strong presence here. His guitar playing is pretty and crisp and understated, and his melodic gruffness grants this project some gravitas. I think the best run here is from Stardust to Blue Skies, with Blue Skies as my personal favorite song from the whole project. There are some lulls though, I don't know if the strength of this opening run is matched at any other point in the project. Also, while Unchained Melody and September Song are very good, they are also among the lowest energy songs on the album, and sequencing them together causes some pacing problems for me. For as hard a sell as "Willie Nelson's classic pop covers album" is, this really delivers, and I liked it quite a lot, despite some unevenness here and there. I'm gonna settle at a high 3, but I'd also like to give some unofficial bonus points to the fantastic album art.

It was interesting to hear songs from the American Songbook stripped down to just a few instruments and vocals. But, I was happy that the album was short because I can only listen to him in small doses before his warbling voice gets irritating.

liked songs: All of Me Not a bad set of covers. 3

Relaxed and tastefully done. I’m not crazy about Willie’s voice but this was tolerable. Good choice of material, though I could have done without “September Song”; it seemed to drag on forever. Overall, not bad…..but I probably won’t need to listen to it again.

Blue Skies is a great song, and I really like Willie Nelson but this album did not inspire me like the other ones have.

Inoffensive but pretty uninspiring cover versions.

Respect the artist just not my jam.

This was nice to put on before bed. Felt like a lullaby. Not very memorable. But nice to listen to.

Listenable

I enjoyed this album listen! I’ve never really listened to a Willie Nelson album before so that was fun to experience. I feel like most of these songs were covers but I was into it. The album felt very chill and folksy to me. I can see myself listening to this again and recommending it to others!

Hyggepianistagtigt. Kendte sange. Lidt dansktopagtigt.

Really like the sound of the band on this album, and of course Willie's interpretation is great. Enjoyable record for Sunday chilling.

Interesting

Reliable Willie!

Good performance, but not for me... Mostly background music. And since it's only cover songs, why is this record on this list? I tend to 4 stars, but honestly, I will never come back to this one, it is ok, but overall forgettable...

Willie's great, but this is not exactly my style of music. I do like his interpretation of many of these classics. Assuming it is Willie, I love the sound of his leads, which were simple yet very effective. He gets a great sound out of his guitar.

kinda putting me to sleep. would be good EOD tho

This one felt like Willie Nelson doing his best Frank Sinatra impression. Georgia On My Mind was an absolutely perfect cover and I think the best song on the album. Most of the others were forgettable, with a few head scratchers. Some of the songs seemed to be simply Willie singing random notes within a major scale for no apparent reason. Going into this one, I was excited because I generally like Willie Nelson, but this album was a meh for me.

pretty solid

Sweet. But not memorable for me

That was fun to hear. Willie sing some famous songs that aren't his own.

This is the kind of thing I feel like I know Willie Nelson more for than the outlaw country stuff. And it’s fine I guess. He does a really good job on this album making stripped back versions of these songs that I don’t really listen to anyways. I see the appeal but it’s not for me

I prefer shotgun willie but this is lovely

wow definitely liked this more than I expected. The singing was probably the biggest worry, but its not bad at all. Quite similar to the one from yesterday. It doesn't really feel like country to me, or at least any I've heard. singing is good, orchestral elements are also really good. Again similarly to last time, some songs are just a bit nothing or go nowhere. Favourite songs: stardust, blue skies, September song, moonlight in Vermont, someone to watch over me. Overall around 6/10

Gentle and lovely but a lot of covers that aren't great

Chilled - liked it!

This album was fun and really adorable. Good stuff.

Georgia on my mind is fantastic, few others are decent but I really not fan of most of these songs in general. You need to be on the right mood for this or over 80.

This was a much mellower approach by Willie Nelson, at least when compared to his outlaw country, story-driven album 'Red Headed Stranger', an album I really liked. And from what I understand, this album's composed entirely of covers of older pop standards. It was good, I mean Willie Nelson is nothing if not a talented writer and guitar player, and I enjoyed the first three tracks, alongside 'September Song', quite a lot. Honestly wasn't even too familiar with many of the songs covered here, but the selection was well done nevertheless...I'm sure they meant a lot to Nelson himself. But aside from that, everything here felt super boilerplate, very much a late '70s country album. It was still an enjoyable listen at the end of the day.

Relaxing and comforting like a campfire but also not much that really stands out to me, just pretty and chill. (3.5 stars)

Soft country ballads, good but it does get repetitive.

for a standards album i gotta say that Willie Nelson does a great job at keeping things consistent with his style and artistry. a little middling at first, but i found myself increasingly drawn into the atmosphere. probably pairs well with a nice whiskey. best listened to at night as well, i would say. deserves to be one of the 1001? would not be my pick for a second Willie album, but i'm not upset to see it here. sure.

I appreciate Willie, really, I do. And this is a classic bunch of wonderful songs. And he does a wonderful job performing them. And it’s fine. Really. I don’t think I get what the fuss is all about.

Sans être nul, c'est un peu con de faire un album de reprises où aucune des reprises n'est meilleure que l'originale.

Old timey covers. Less outlaw, more classic style.

Bra

Between “outlaw” country singer and a Stax organ player producing, this must’ve had quite the fish out of water feel when it arrived to the public in the late 1970s. It’d be like Chad Hugo or Dangermouse working with Beck or Dave Grohl in the 2010s to recast the feel of 80s music. The standards record is now something of a line on a singer’s resume, showcasing their interpretative skills and unique vocal talent, whereas Willie really threw folks a curveball. The trick is to not succumb to the style or sound of the old material and instead make it sound contemporary, maybe with a wink, but Willie is not interested in jokey asides: he’s completely earnest, but in his warm, casual, and relaxed approach. Unfortunately, as charming as this all is, the album still loses my attention and fades into the background pretty quickly. I like, but don’t love his minor key, stilted syntax spins on familiar material. It’s all very lovely - I can see and almost feel the neon lighting up a solitary couple swaying to any one of these cuts. Maybe one day it will have a place for me but today it’s all just a bit dull.

A delightful album. Wonderful to listen to. No range at all. All of the covers sound roughly the same with the same tempo and everything else.

gorgeous voice but a lot of the originals are better than these covers

Fine covers. Little slow for my liking. Maybe a sleep playlist adjacent album.

Outstanding production by Booker T. Really a beautiful sounding album.

5.5/10 Not entirely sure why I needed to head a bunch of covers of worn out songs before I die, but the quality is there I suppose. Highlights: All of Me Blue Skies

J'ai bien aimé, mais sans plus. Facile à écouter.

Great voice!!

Pretty decent, just not feeling it today

I cannot imagine a future in which I go to listen to the White Album, or to Sly & the Family Stone, or to R.E.M., and then I change my mind and listen to Stardust by Willie Nelson instead. So I guess this hello and goodbye. None of this is Willie Nelson’s fault. It’s just that I did all I could to keep out Country, and they slipped it in by calling it Singer/Songwriter.

This album makes me feel like I'm five years old, riding in the center of the bench seat of an old car without seatbelts. All I can think about is how to change the station without getting in trouble. It's not bad music, but the feeling that I need to move as quickly as possible to better music is palpable.

A cover of his favorites. Good songs many I’ve neve heard. Emotion comes out.