Willie Nelson: "Spirit"

Island, 524 242-2 (40 mins)

Dial-a-track code: 1201

Lyle Lovett: "The Road to Ensenada" MCA/Curb, MCD 11409 (57 mins)

Dial-a-track code: 1311

Texas is one big place. I was there once when I visited Dallas, one of the dullest cities ever built. A cynical US colleague remarked when we left that famous book repository building (actually an eerily and oddly moving experience) that it was rumoured that the city fathers were behind JFK's assassination in an attempt to drum up tourist business.

So much for my first hand knowledge of Texas. But Texan music is another matter. These two gentlemen are two of the Lone Star State's truly class acts. Nelson is undergoing something of an Indian summer in the autumn of his long career. It is not hype. He has rediscovered purpose and meaning compared to the dross he trotted out during the Eighties. Perhaps it was the trauma of his bankruptcy or whatever, but his recent work has been infused with a stark honesty underlined by the chiselled dignity of his unique voice.

Spirit is more of the same, though this time it is music pared to the bone. There is ample room for his often neglected fine acoustic guitar, while the fiddle of Johnny Gimble and Bobbie Nelson's piano get plenty of opportunity to shine in the intimate atmosphere. The songs are reflective, moody, bluesy waltzes of world weariness, a lonesome western soundtrack to a movie in his mind. Nelson is utterly convincing as the maverick loser who is still learning as he goes about his business. Life ain't no laughing matter, he seems to be saying. But saying it with such quiet force that it is hard not to bend to its power.

Incidentally, it is worth mentioning the wonderfully atmospheric photography of Chris Buck. His cover portrait of Nelson is worth a thousand words. This is a face which has known the vicissitudes of life and lived to tell the tale. Which is nothing less than the truth.

Mr Lovett's portrait on his CD cover also speaks loudly, but of a man not overly troubled by life's ups and downs, specifically the failure of his marriage to the Famous Actress. If anything Lovett seems to go out of his way to say that he's all right, no damage done. Of course there are hints here and there; Promises, an intense song of bitter regret, is possibly the most obvious reference to troubles romantic, but many of the 12 tracks (officially there are 12 tracks, but hang on at the end and you get a neat little bonus) include lines which could be construed to refer to the big romance.

Personally I think Old Lyle is a little too bright a boy to play emotional wreck for those with willing ears: He almost makes a point of being deliberately flippant with tracks like Don't Touch My Hat, Her First Mistake, Fiona, That's Right (You're Not From Texas) and Long Tall Texan (with Randy Newman), setting the tone. Against that there are more considered songs like Who Loves You Better, Christmas Morning, the title track and the superb straight country of I Can't Love You Anymore. Indeed, for this latest collection Lovett has dispensed with his normal eclecticism and returned to his country roots. There lingers, however, the feeling that, good though this album is, Lovett longs to return to the role of narrator and ironic commentator on life's little: games and forget his moment in the glare of the Hollyweird spotlight.

BR5-49: "Live From Robert"'

Arista, 07822 10800 (22 mins)

Dial-a-track code: 1421

Vince Gill: "High Lonesome Sound" MCA, MCD 11422 (43 mins)

Dial-a-track code: 1531

Just enough space left to mention these two serious contenders. The former is a live mini album from this Nashville bar band, which is a wonderful antidote for much of the crass output of the rest of that city. The latter is a spirited attempt to show: that Vince Gill is much more than just a pretty voice. BR5-49 is actually five guys with a great handle on good time country. I eagerly await a full dose, but in the meantime this is a little rough gem. Gill's collection is invariably more sophisticated, but this is no safety first recording. It is almost as if Gill is answering some unspoken questions about his ability, such is the sharpness of his playing. And when he is not rocking he is returning to his bluegrass roots for a reprise of the title track accompanied by Alison Krauss and Union Station. Good stuff.