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This is my first review ever, and it's too bad that it took such a disappointment! Dig through some of Willie's back catalog, where he is backed far better, before buying Teatro.


Absolutely stunning. One of the best of 350 albums I own.   November 10, 2002
I mostly enjoy classical and opera. However---- my Texas girlfriend recently introduced me (not personally) to Willie Nelson. I am struck. So struck in fact, that this is my first review for Amazon. I was that moved on hearing Teatro. Its rhythms are with me now. You must hear this CD, especially on a great audio system. It is superbly recorded. But even on a boombox, its beat and its message are arresting. I thought, at first, it might be one of those CDs you love cause you are in a certain MOOD. But I have been through many moods, and this CD is always as wonderful and as beautiful as it was on first hearing. Just inventive and propulsive and.. what else can you say. Sadly, I've bought several other Willie albums since this, and I just cant seem to recapture the feeling this one gives me. Moonlight in Vermont jus' don' cut it. It is no Teatro. Nothing is.


this cd is for everyone...   July 31, 2002
i grew up in a country household and rebelled as soon as i was old enough to open the cd player for myself. but as i have gotten older, i have come to realize there is something classic and universal to willie nelson. he is not so much country as he is human. his lyrics, the strums on his guitar, his ecclectic beats all come together in this album in such a unique way. this is totally mellow and chill but the music will still bring you to your knees. my normal rotation includes radiohead, rusted root, the pixies, and alice in chains, to name a few, but teatro always has a way of sneaking in there. such an utterly refreshing album from the master of song. and i can listen to it with my dad.


great song writing, drums pushed too far forward   May 8, 2002
Willie Nelson has always had a timeless feeling about his music- he is very good at finding the nucleus of a song and breaking it down into that- overprduction has never suited him. That is why albums like Red Headed Stranger worked so well.
Teatro could be a great album, but for me it is difficult to get passed the drums that are pushed so far in front of the mix that when played low, that is all you can hear. I think that D. Lanios is a very talented producer who has helped bands like U2 and Peter Gabriel reach thier comercial peaks, but in my opinion Willie Nelson does not need much to get the idea or sound across. At times this sound does work like on "the Maker" (which I think was written by Lanios) but in others it just sounds like a forced Lanois-styled stamp just so the listeners know that he produced it.
As for the positives I think there are some really good playing by all the musicians- Emmylou Harris's harmonies are very interesting the way she kind of sings a step behind Willie making it feel improvised and fresh. Willie's guitar solo's are subtle and beautiful as always- and I think that the remakes of some of the older song are great improvements.
Its hard to recommend this album becuase of the production, I wish there was a way to move the drums back in the mix so that the writing and proformances could really come through more. This would have been a five star album if not for this one major flaw. If you are curious about recent Willie Nelson albums I would recommend Across the Borderline ('94) which has some great originals and covers as well.


My favorite Willie. Perfect arrangements and delivery.   April 29, 2002
As buried or forgotten as this CD normally is in any Willie Nelson conversation, it's a real shame. This is the most compelling Willie Nelson record I've ever heard. It's been in my CD player regularly since it came out. The production isn't lean and stripped down like Red Headed Stranger, but the arrangements here just work perfectly. Nelson's guitar work and vocal phrasing are front and center, Emmylou's harmony vocals are supreme, and the latin-Texas rythmic thing is infectuous. My hat is off to Daniel Lanois. I think he did more to capture an artists "sound" with this record better than Bob Dylan or Emmylou. His best production since U2's Joshua Tree.