***Carla Bozulich has wanted to perform and record this classic Willie Nelson concept album for a long time. She never dreamed that Willie Nelson himself would be interested in playing on the album. Sure enough, a few weeks after he'd heard a tape on his tour bus, Carla was in his Austin studio recording duets with him.

When frequent collaborator Nels Cline (who Jazz Times called "the world's most dangerous guitarist") formed the all-instrumental Nels Cline Singers with Scott Amendola on drums and Devin Hoff on upright bass, it turned out that they were all closet country fanatics. There was a convergence of sorts around The Red Headed Stranger, and Carla's heartfelt compulsion finally found its way to the material plane. Her idea of combining seemingly odd elements (jazz, improvisation, raga, caberet) with a traditionally country feel was brought to life by these highly inventive players. During a 24-date tour in April, 2002, Tzadik recording artist Jenny Scheinman joined the quartet on violin for a few shows and added soul and character to the recordings.

Carla Bozulich is best known as the powerful singer The Geraldine Fibbers, initially a strictly country outfit, later on concerned with the universe's heaviest dark passions, and for her often instrumental, by turns organized and anarchistic work with Nels Cline as Scarnella. Before that she was the gamine howler in the groove/sex/assault outfit Ethyl Meatplow. After several years of experimenting with instrumental and/or improvised music, Carla is veering back into song-oriented territory. She has one of the most unique voices in any genre. Lately she's scored a film (By Hook Or By Crook - Sundance Official Selection 2002) and a play (Jean Genet's The Maids), and has done many comps, tributes and special appearance recordings. Her work is always brutally raw and weirdly visionary, yet still manages to lull.