(Eagle Entertainment, 60 mins)

www.eaglerockent.com

BY LEE ZIMMERMAN

If ever there was an entertainer who defied that old show biz axiom that suggests its better to leave your audience wanting more, it's almost certainly Willie Nelson.  It seems that practically every month, virtual store shelves are welcoming a new Willie release.  Fortunately, over-saturation has yet to sink in, which makes this cheery DVD, taken from a 1985 television special, another worthy addition to Willy's repertoire.

Despite the lapse of nearly 25 years, the release illustrates just how timeless and driven Willie's remained over the years. In fact, in comparing today's Willie Nelson stadium shows to these performances in an intimate club setting, there's virtually no change that's detectable in either attitude or approach.  Willie makes it all about delivering the music without pretense, a fact that's affirmed in these extraordinary duets with his guest, the late Ray Charles.  That's also evident in the fleeting rehearsal scenes where the two share some good-natured joshing. ("We played chess in Ray's room last night," he comments, eliciting laughter from both the crowd and Ray himself.  "And he won!  Next time we're going to turn the lights on.")  However, when the two exchange vocals for the touching "Seven Spanish Angels" and "Georgia on my Mind," Nelson is the one driven to excel, turning in superior performances that show him fully capable of keeping up with the master.

Naturally, Nelson's standards are also well represented - "On the Road Again," "Always on my Mind," "To All the Girls I Loved Before" and "Whiskey River," all delivered with that casual grace that's become Nelson's stock in trade.  So too, a brief visit to Willie's hometown of Abbott, Texas shows how his humble roots have transformed him into America's most beloved country crooner.

Special Features: none.