Spin (11/01, p.136) - 8 out of 10 - "...Williams codified country's mix of personal tragedy and communal spirituality. [His] songs have lived full lives of their own by now, and the best contributions here heed the music as well as the myth..."
Entertainment Weekly (11/02/01, p.79) - "...Classy..." - Rating: A
Uncut (12/01, p.122) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...As tributes go, TIMELESS is pretty stellar..."
No Depression (11-12/01, p.140) - "...A terrific collection..."
Compilation producers: Luke Lewis, Mary Martin, Bonnie Garner.
TIMELESS: HANK WILLIAMS TRIBUTE won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Country Album. "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" and "Cold, Cold Heart" were nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. "Lovesick Blues" and "I Dreamed About Mama Last Night" were nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.
The first question that comes to mind upon the release of a Hank Williams tribute album featuring such alt-country superstars as Ryan Adams and Lucinda Williams, not to mention American icons like Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris, is "what took so long?" Clearly, the artists featured on the TIMELESS tribute have all been strongly influenced by the great bard of country music, so their participation in such a project seems like a given. Some artists stick closer to Hank's original arrangements than others; Sheryl Crow's take on "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" and Hank's grandson Hank III's "I'm A Long Gone Daddy" hew pretty closely to the traditional path. Predictably, Beck takes things the furthest by adding some sonic murk to "Your Cheatin' Heart." Keith Richards reaches deep into "You Win Again" and pulls out some Memphis soul. But regardless of their faithfulness to the original versions, these artists clearly have something to add to the Hank Williams legacy, underling the fact that the man's songs are truly TIMELESS.