Willie Nelson has announced his 76th solo album, Last Leaf on the Tree.
By Website Content Manager
Before the release of the new album, the renowned artist released the first featured track, “Last Leaf,” on Thursday, August 15.
Willie Nelson is adding to his impressive discography of over 150 albums with his latest release.
On Thursday, August 15, the iconic country star unveiled his upcoming album, Last Leaf on the Tree, which is set to be released on November 1. This will be Nelson’s 76th solo studio album and his 153rd overall.
For this album, Nelson’s son, Micah, 34, is taking on the role of producer for the first time. Micah, who has performed alongside his father in the past and contributed to family albums like Willie and the Boys (2017) and The Willie Nelson Family (2021), is now stepping into a new role.
On the same day, Nelson released the album’s lead track, a solo rendition of Tom Waits’ “Last Leaf.” This song originally appeared on Waits’ 2011 album Bad as Me, which featured Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards. In addition to “Last Leaf,” Nelson also includes a performance of Waits’ “House Where Nobody Lives” on the new album.
Willie Nelson will also include a cover of folk singer Sydney Lyndella Ward, known as Sunny War, performing her song “If It Wasn’t Broken.” Ward expressed in the press release that Nelson’s cover is “the sweetest and greatest thing that’s ever happened to [her] as a writer and musician.” She reminisced about performing the song on the Venice Beach boardwalk and never imagining that Nelson would ever hear it. The album was recorded at Micah Nelson’s studio, the Hen House, in Venice, California.
The album features guest musicians such as Raphael Lanois on pedal steel, former Doors drummer John Densmore, and Magatte Sow on percussion.
On the 13-track album, Willie Nelson wrote two songs, “The Ghost” and “Color of Sound,” the latter in collaboration with Micah. Micah also wrote a third song, “Wheels.”
Micah revealed in the press release that the album reflects on the “finality of life” experienced by the 91-year-old Nelson in recent years. He noted, “There are little side-quests, but that became the through-line — facing death with grace.”