FOR a one-time outlaw, Willie Nelson has a wonderfully protestant work ethic. The 83 year old is enjoying a rich vein of form, and here he plays to his strengths.

While only Hank Williams’ legend has endured, his one-time roommate Ray Price was a famous country and western name from the 1950s onwards. Long-time Nelson fans will know the two co-produced three albums before Price died in 2012.

Price’s Cherokee Cowboys band provided a home to a number of future stars, none more so than Nelson himself. Nelson penned one of his signature tunes, Night Life, while another, It Always Will Be, is a highlight here. Other songs Like Heartaches By The Number demonstrate Price’s once revolutionary 4/4 country shuffle, at best now a footnote.

The stars are in alignment here: great material, played by a crack honky tonk band, The Time Jumpers, that includes Vince Gill. Elvis’s string arranger, Bergen White, provides the sheen for half of the record. The balance works. Nelson shines brightest, his aged voice investing new pathos in the words, cracked where Price was smooth.

A minor triumph.