''The Essential Willie Nelson'' is a two-disc compilation of

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

songs. This digitally remastered compilation covers five decades of Nelson's recording career, and is part of Sony's ''Essential'' series of compilation albums. A 2009 release in limited Essential 3.0 series came with a bonus disc of eight fan-favourites and rarities. The album was re-released with an updated track listing on October 16, 2015.

Reception

David Quantick of '' Q'' wrote, " e songs here sound fresh and almost youthful. The arrangements are sparky, too... All the sheer scope of Nelson's writing is displayed." In a retrospective review,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

editor

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

said that "''The Essential Willie Nelson'' gets about as close as a set could to providing the basics".

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Essential Willie Nelson Sony BMG compilation albums 2003 compilation albums Willie Nelson compilation albums