Willie Nelson started calling his backing band the Family way back in 1973, right around the time he split from RCA, grew out his hair, and headed back to Texas. The Family also are featured on
Willie Nelson Family, but this 2021 album is designed to feature his kin, including his sister
Bobbie, his sons
Lukas and
Micah --the linchpins of
Promise of the Real, sometimes backing band of
Neil Young -- and daughters
Paula and
Amy. Everybody has played on one of
Willie's records at one point or another --
Bobbie has been by his side for years -- but the mingling of voices is notable, especially when one of his children takes the lead. At this stage,
Willie is sounding a bit craggy, so having softer, supple voices offering support sounds warm and sweet. The Nelsons focus on country gospel material for their joint effort, but they bend the rules a bit, opening the album with
Willie's outlaw classic "Heaven and Hell" and offering a dreamy version of
George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass" as the record's centerpiece. Around these two pieces of secular spirituality lie a bunch of country gospel standards, all given nice relaxed readings that showcase
Nelson's fleet guitar,
Bobbie's piano, and harmonica from
Mickey Raphael. If this didn't mark the last recordings of
Willie's longtime righthand man
Paul English -- the drummer who was immortalized in "Me and Paul" -- this wouldn't necessarily seem like a noteworthy album: it's too relaxed, too casual to be considered major. Its low-key nature is also the appeal of
Willie Nelson Family -- it's the sound of an informal jam session by one of the best musical families in America, so it's easy to enjoy even if it feels decidedly minor. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine