You Don’t Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker

Cindy Walker, who died last April, was the leading Western swing songwriter of the mid-20th century, writing songs for the likes of Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, Webb Pierce, Roy Orbison and many others. “You Don’t Know Me” has been covered by everyone from Eddy Arnold and Ray Charles to Van Morrison and Patricia Barber. Her work defines “classic” in the genre—pure and simple songs that are purely affecting: “Bubbles in My Beer,” “Not That I Care,” “Warm Red Wine,” and “I Was Just Walkin’ Out the Door.” Nelson is totally at home with the material, and his time-weathered voice is absolutely perfect for the songs. That, coupled with accompaniment by Johnny Gimble’s fiddle, Buddy Emmon’s pedal steel and backing vocals by the Jordanaires, makes for an outstanding overview of Walker’s work.