Happy 420! Could the international day to hail all things pot have any better spokespeople than Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg? The answer is resoundingly no. And just in case they haven”t made their love of the herb clear enough, they return today with “Roll Me Up & Smoke Me When I Die,” from Nelson”s forthcoming album, “Heroes.” Listen to it here.
If the song is new to you- it’s a standard in Nelson’s live show -the surprise is that this version is a rollicking, country tune that stands on its own merits as a truly enjoyable song, as opposed to some novelty. The musicianship is great, the outlaw country attitude is essential, the picking is delicious, guests Jamey Johnson and Kris Kristofferson add just the right amount of gravel, and, believe it or not, Snoop is totally convincing on a a country track.
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Of course, they aren”t the only ones celebrating 420. In a far inferior effort, Asher Roth is celebrating 420 with a chat with his fans and yesterday’s release of “Party Girl” featuring Meek Mill, a paean to a girl who can smoke and drink that makes Ke$ha sound like a genius (and which clocks in at 4:20). It”s a lazy song built around Eddie Murphy”s 1985 hit, “Party All The Time.” I don”t even smoke pot and I”m embarrassed that Roth tried to hone in on 420 with this piece of crap. We”re just putting the grade up for Nelson/Snoop Dogg, but if we were putting one up for “Party Girl,” it would be an F. To quote John Gielgud in the original “Arthur,” “Usually one must go to a bowling alley to meet a woman of [this] stature.” “Party Girl” is the first single from Roth’s new album, “Is This Too Orange,” out later this year.
And speaking of all things 420, Bob Marley”s documentary, “Marley” comes out today in a clever tie-in between the reggae superstar and 420.