Willie Nelson's Critically Praised New Studio Album, Last Leaf on the Tree, Out Today
Published
Willie Nelson’s New Studio Album
Last Leaf on the Tree
Out Today
Critics Call The Album
“Stunning,” “Powerful,”
“Beautiful” “Profound,” and “Superb”
Last Leaf on the Tree
NEW YORK – Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, today released Willie Nelson’s anticipated new studio album Last Leaf on the Tree. His 76th solo studio album and 153rd album overall, Last Leaf on the Tree was produced by his son Micah and finds Nelson covering an eclectic collection of songs by rock legends, idiosyncratic singer songwriters, alt-rock heroes, and indie folk artists, as well as a new recording of Willie’s 1967 song, “The Ghost,” and a new composition by Willie and Micah Nelson together.
Willie Nelson’s Last Leaf on the Tree is available to stream, download, on CD and on amber swirl double LP vinyl. Order HERE.
Read Peter Blackstock’s in-depth essay on the making of The Last Leaf on the Tree HERE
In addition to producing, Micah Nelson played several of the instruments, designed the album cover, and helped create animation for the video of the album’s first single, a cover of Tom Waits’ “Last Leaf” alongside his wife, Alexandra Dascalu Nelson. Willie plays his trusty guitar Trigger throughout and the two are joined by a host of celebrated musicians plus guest spots from legendary producer and musician Daniel Lanois, John Densmore of The Doors, Senegalese musician Magatte Sow on percussion and harmonica master Mickey Raphael, who has played alongside Willie for more than 50 years.
Critics and fans have embraced the album, the song choice and the production:
“His is the voice of authority, and he’s reminding us how he got to this point,
advising us to pray, to relish the moment, to be ready when our moment is over,
and to believe we’ll live on in some other form. And when Micah harmonizes with him,
you hear the son’s voice, airy and almost tentative, leaning on his dad but also revealing
what he’s learned from him. It’s beautiful…One of the best tracks,
and one of the loveliest Willie has ever recorded, is one he cowrote with Micah,
‘Color of Sound.’ Over a softly flowing melody breathed through medieval recorders
by a friend of Micah’s, the multi-instrumentalist Sam Gendel, Willie sings
of fallen trees, homebound roads, and the ‘new beginnings unfolding
when the end comes around.’”
TEXAS MONTHLY
“The title song by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan,
‘Keep Me In Your Heart’ by Warren Zevon and Jorge Calderonm
and ‘If It Wasn’t Broken’ by LA anarcho-busker Sunny War
all stand out as life lessons set to powerful melody and rendered in Willie-sing.
His voice is a bit more raw in his 91st year,
but that just adds yet more resonance. Long may he run.”
MOJO
“Versions of songs by Beck (‘Lost Cause’)
and The Flaming Lips (‘Do You Realise??’)
appear to be odd-couple pairings,
but Nelson sounds at home
in their countrified airs. The best tracks
find him tackling fellow greats,
such as a good-natured jug-band take
on Neil Young’s ‘Are You Ready
for the Country?’ and the incantatory simmer
of Nina Simone’s ‘Come Ye’.”
FINANCIAL TIMES
“…a stunning set…adventurous
and experimental sonically, astute
in its choice of songs, and brilliant
in terms of Nelson’s delivery
as a singer and a player.”
THE ARTS DESK
“Country legend revels in his seniority on superb covers album
these covers fit him like a glove. Tom Waits ‘Last Leaf’ becomes more poignant
and defiant…as does a full-on jugband reading of Neil Young’s ‘Are You Ready
For The Country?’…and a a folksy ballad interpretation
of The Flaming Lips’ ‘Do You Realize??’…
Each features a wonderful tangle of guitar – Nelson’s acoustic strumming,
son Micah’s bluesy flourishes and Daniel Lanois’s heartwrenching pedal steel.”
UNCUT
“…of the most emotionally complex songs Beck has written is ‘Lost Cause,’
which is sadder than your average breakup song because it’s more about resignation
than remorse… [Nelson’s] voice quivers, the acoustic guitars are nimble,
and the cinematic strings shimmer like a diaphanous veil between earth and heaven…
Nelson’s ‘Lost Cause’ feels profound as he breathes new life in a dying moment.
The recording recalls the way Johnny Cash found new despair in Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Hurt,’
turning Trent Reznor’s heroin horror show into a profound statement on grief
and feeling like the last man standing. But Nelson’s song comes with the knowledge
that he is the last man standing.”
ROLLING STONE
“’Lost Cause’ is one of the saddest,
prettiest, altogether greatest songs
of all time… So kudos to Micah Nelson
for deciding his father Willie should cover it
for his autumnal new album
Last Leaf On The Tree…
Nelson puts his own spin on ‘Lost Cause’
while maintaining the song’s
inherent desolation.”
STEREOGUM
“Willie’s latest cover [‘Last Leaf’], sourced
from Waits’ 2011 album Bad As Me,
cuts deeper as the artist bears his soul alone
on the mic, singing against a softly
stirring backdrop of distant harmonica,
shuffling percussion and scattered,
atmospheric bass and guitar.
His tone is bittersweet and retrospective;
proud, peaceful and candid
on a difficult topic. At 91, Willie
has seen it all, and carries the experience
necessary to reflect earnestly
and thoughtfully on the finality of life.”
RELIX
“A swirling psychedelic sound introduces the title track,
Waits and Kathleen Brennan’s sobering meditation on standing alone in the world.
With quivering voice and sure-handed guitar strums, Nelson evokes the fear and trembling
of standing on life’s precipice, even as so many of his friends have passed over it,
while resisting the grip of death and promising immortality through the power of music”
NO DEPRESSION
Willie Nelson – Last Leaf on the Tree
1. Last Leaf (written by Tom Waits & Kathleen Brennan)
2. If It Wasn’t Broken (written by Sydney Lyndella Ward)
3. Lost Cause (written by Beck David Hansen)
4. Come Ye (written by Nina Simone)
5. Keep Me In Your Heart (written by Warren Zevon & Jorge Calderon)
6. Robbed Blind (written by Keith Richards)
7. House Where Nobody Lives (written by Tom Waits)
8. Are You Ready For The Country? (written by Neil Young)
9. Do You Realize?? (written by Wayne Coyne/Steven Drozd/Michael Ivins/David Fridmann)
10. Wheels (written by Micah Nelson)
11. Broken Arrow (written by Neil Young)
12. Color Of Sound (written by Willie Nelson & Micah Nelson)
13. The Ghost (written by Willie Nelson)
About Willie Nelson & Legacy Recordings
In February 2012, Willie Nelson entered into an historic new record deal with Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, marking a label homecoming for Nelson, who, from 1975-1993, had cut a phenomenal string of top-selling singles and albums for Columbia Records, beginning with 1975’s seminal smash Red Headed Stranger. New titles by the artist under the Legacy imprint include newly recorded songs and performances as well as archival releases, personally curated by the artist, drawn from all phases of his career including his recordings for RCA Records and others. Since signing with Legacy, Willie Nelson has released 22 albums in just over 12 years and won 4 Grammy Awards.
About Micah Nelson
Composer/multi-media artist Micah Nelson has a remarkable output that spans the creative spectrum. Producing art under the moniker Particle Kid, Micah finds no boundaries in his creativity. Particle Kid has released six albums of his original music, including his most recent release Time Capsule, a 26-song musical journey through time, space, and consciousness. His previous albums – self-titled debut Particle Kid, Everything Is Bullshit, Particle War, Window Rock, Live! Underground – are just part of the catalog of work Nelson has amassed with other artists and musicians. He was chosen by Neil Young to become a member of his band Crazy Horse in 2023, and Nelson was also featured in Young’s full-length film Paradox. On tour year round, Particle Kid has headlined shows around the world as well as opened for many other artists including The Flaming Lips, Tinariwen, Meat Puppets, Claypool Lennon Delirium, and been part of the line up for Luck Reunion, BottleRock Festival, UTOPiAfest, and the Outlaw Music Festival.
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