Television Reviews : A Willie Nelson Show Worth Bragging About

Finally, Willie Nelson is featured in a TV special that fits him like a custom Stetson. “Willie Nelson, Texas Style” is so low-key and down-home, so concerned with authentic music, real people and real feelings, so free of the usual network-TV trappings that it’s amazing to see that it’s on CBS, not PBS (Saturday at 9 p.m. on Channel 2).

“Texas Style” is about as relaxed as a show can get without inducing a snooze. The legendary country singer takes a leisurely tour of his native state--focusing for the most part on the “hill-country” area (northwest of San Antonio) where he still makes his home. Nelson strolls through his ranch-style house, plays dominoes with some good ol’ boys at a local tavern, sings “Amazing Grace” with the congregation of his hometown church, floats in a small boat down the Rio Grande with guitarist Jackie King (where they do an enchanting “South of the Border”) and reminisces about his boyhood days with his sister, Bobbie.

Not everything here is that laid-back. Nelson also joins Asleep at the Wheel on stage for some Western Swing, sings a sassy duet with Ray Charles, and even jams in a rehearsal studio with rocker Bruce Hornsby. The hour ends with a visit to Willie’s Annual Fourth of July Picnic, where the star and his Family band perform “Always on My Mind” and “On the Road Again.”

Produced with utmost taste and intelligence by Don Mischer and co-written by Mischer and Nelson, “Texas Style” is consistently involving and entertaining--and it shows you don’t have to gussy up a special with big-name guest stars and razzle-dazzle to achieve that.

Above all, the show has Nelson’s constant presence--on his own terms, for once. Soft-spoken host, knowledgeable guide, superb storyteller and, of course, masterful singer-songwriter, he’s what makes this memorable tribute work--one that manages to brag about Texas and be modest at the same time.