Of course, there was a time when country releases were overlooked completely in certain musical circles until Rick Rubin re-introduced the world to the genius of Johnny Cash and Ryan Adams bought a fresh perspective to the genre - whilst still keeping the mainstays of whiskey, steel guitar and heartbreak in the mix.

Now it is the turn of Willie Nelson to be re-introduced to the world and what better way to pull in the alt.country kids than by putting your album out on Lost Highway recordings, getting Ryan Adams to produce the collection and have Adams and his great band The Cardinals backing you up?

Starting as it means to go on, 'Rainy Day Blues' finds Nelson stuck in a sunless world with Jon Graboff's steel guitar accompanying him into the emotional void. Stunning. Ryan Adams work on this album matches anything he's done over recent years (although we'd still say 'Jacksonville City Nights' beats anything Cash/Nelson have given us...) and he seems to have given Nelson the confidence to come back fighting. His version of Cohen classic 'Hallelujah' is stunning, yes it IS better than the Buckley version (although we'd also recommend checking out the perfect John Cale version released years back)

Pour a large Jack, pop open a Budweiser and wallow in one of music's greatest voices twinned with the genius of Ryan Adams and The Cardinals. Amazing.