Willie Nelson to Appear on Next Snoop Dogg Album; The Civil Wars Perform for Paste; Grammy Performances Boost Sales

The album’s most left-of-center track is the playful “Superman.” Accompanied by guitar and harmonica, Snoop and Willie Nelson trade riffs on living life with the hands they’ve been dealt and realizing, “I’m not Superman.” The idea to work together took shape when the two artists found themselves in Amsterdam doing shows there. “We got some studio time and wrote this song,” said Snoop. “It’s some cold, classic shit.”

Here’s video of the two performing the song a couple of years ago.

Sprinkled among the highly polished honky-tonk, there’s a tasty Nick Lowe cover and a sparkling duet with Brennen Leigh. These are Dayton’s strongest vocals to date, bringing to mind compadre Johnny Bush, and Warren Hood’s fiddle seals the deal.

To hear Carll tell it, one of the stories Snider tells is actually his — a quip based around a bill the two shared once upon a time in a hoity-toity venue that provided the performers with an abundance of vegetables to munch on. Recalls Carll, upon seeing the buffet of carrots and the like, he turned to Snider and said, “I guess, once you become a rockstar, you get all the vegetables you want.” Amusing stuff, sure, but certainly Carll’s bit — which is why he was so miffed to hear that Snider used the same line on his album.

I believe she’s 17 years old and a sophomore or junior in college already. Along the lines of the Ruby Jane or Sarah Jarosz prodigal talents. She played an in-store will Bill Whitbeck and floored us with her poise and ability to control a room. Sky’s the limit for her. She could be the next Marnie Stern or Gillian Welch or she could be the next Mandy Moore or Natalie Portman. She’s got the talent, looks & intelligence, but most importantly she has a presence that exudes personality and likeability. She just has that “it” trait that is extremely hard to define.

Here’s Tommy Alverson performing “Texas One More Time” for Mount Vernon Sessions.