The Little Willies - For the Good Times

The Little Willies - Five years after their eponymous debut, the NY-based alt/pop and country/folk band returns with a new album featuring a dozen Nashville covers...Started nearly a decade ago as friendly compadres jamming at the Lower East Side outpost The Living Room, The Willies consist of platinum folk/pop songstress Norah Jones, guitarist Jim Campilongo, drummer Dan Rieser, longtime Jones associate and bassist Lee Alexander and singer/songwriter/guitarist Richard Julian // Release: For the Good Times (January 10, Blue Note) // Sounds like: Old school classics get an adoring if modern take from a group of musicians who obviously have an innate feel for these tear-in-your-beer relics...produced with an unpretentious and simple approach, it's clear that this modest little collection of country nostalgia isn't meant to be anymore than a lovingly handled side project -- and maybe that's why it works...

Quote: "I love playing country music. More than any other genre, it makes me feel at home." -- Norah Jones // What we like: while many country covers albums stress style over substance, Good Times rings true because it's the songwriting -- genre-busting gems of melody and soul -- that's at its warm, beating heart..."Remember Me" and the Kris Kristofferson-penned title track stand out as lovely roadhouse slow dances, Norah's smoky vocals wrapped around a classic country chorus...Perhaps the best known song, Dolly Parton's "Jolene" -- a staple of the Willies' live show since their early days -- closes the album in sweet style...

The Little Willies - "Remember Me" (from For the Good Times)

The Little Willies - "For the Good Time" (from For the Good Times)

Stream the full album at NPR

Track listing for For the Good Times:

1. I Worship You (Ralph Stanley)
2. Remember Me (Scott Wiseman)
3. Diesel Smoke, Dangerous Curves (Cal Martin)
4. Lovesick Blues (Cliff Friend/Irving Mills)
5. Tommy Rockwood (Jim Campilongo)
6. Fist City (Loretta Lynn)
7. Permanently Lonely (Willie Nelson)
8. Foul Owl On The Prowl (Quincy Jones/Alan Bergman/Marilyn Bergman)
9. Wide Open Road (Johnny Cash)
10. For The Good Times (Kris Kristofferson)
11. If You've Got The Money I've Got The Time (Lefty Frizzell/Jim Beck)
12. Jolene (Dolly Parton)