Willie Nelson has announced his 76th studio album, ” Last Leaf on the Tree “, which includes songs by Waits, Neil Young, Beck, the Flaming Lips, Nina Simone and others.
Willie Nelson has just announced his 76th studio album, Last Leaf on the Tree, with the release of a first single: a cover of “ Last Leaf » by Tom Waits, a song Waits recorded with Keith Richards for Bad as Me in 2011.
The rest of the tracks feature a mix of songs that Nelson, 91, wrote and co-wrote, as well as some surprising covers. For the album, which will be released on November 1, the Red Headed Stranger recorded renditions of “ Lost Cause » by Beck, « Come Ye » by Nina Simone, « Keep Me in Your Heart » by Warren Zevon and « Do You Realize » by the Flaming Lips, among others. Nelson's son Micah produced the album and played numerous instruments, from guitar to piano to ” sticks and branches, logs and dead leaves “.
The common thread that connects all the songs on this album is the act of leaving life. There are small side quests, but that became the common thread – facing death with grace. ” Micah said in a statement.
Harmonica player Mickey Raphael, pedal steel guitarist (and noted producer) Daniel Lanois, percussionist Magatte Sow and former Doors drummer John Densmore recorded with Nelson for the album. The musicians worked at the Hen House in Venice, California.
One of the songs Nelson recorded, ” If It Wasn't Broken “, is tied to the region, as songwriter Sydney Lyndella Ward, who originally recorded it under the name Sunny War, explained in a statement: ” Willie singing “If It Wasn't Broken” is the sweetest, most beautiful thing that has ever happened to me as a musician. I used to play this song on the Venice Beach boardwalk and I never imagined at the time that Willie Nelson would hear it. I feel grateful and inspired. »
The album announcement comes a month after Nelson was forced to cancel several Outlaw Music Festival dates due to health concerns. The 90-year-old did, however, return to the stage for its annual Fourth of July picnic. The Outlaw tour is scheduled to run through September.
Last Leaf on the Tree track list:
1. “Last Leaf” (by Tom Waits & Kathleen Brennan)
2. “If It Wasn’t Broken” (by Sydney Lyndella Ward)
3. “Lost Cause” (by Beck David Hansen)
4. “Come Ye” (by Nina Simone)
5. “Keep Me in Your Heart” (by Warren Zevon & Jorge Calderon)
6. “Robbed Blind” (by Keith Richards)
7. “House Where Nobody Lives” (by Tom Waits)
8. “Are You Ready for the Country?” (by Neil Young)
9. “Do You Realize??” (by Wayne Coyne/Steven Drozd/Michael Ivins/David Fridmann)
10. “Wheels” (by Micah Nelson)
11. “Broken Arrow” (by Neil Young)
12. “Color Of Sound” (by Willie Nelson & Micah Nelson)
13. “The Ghost” (by Willie Nelson)
