Willie Nelson – Last Leaf On The Tree (CD)
Review
As producer, co-lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist on father Willie Nelson’s latest LP, Micah Nelson’s fingerprints are all over Last Leaf on the Tree.
Rather than detract from Willie’s magic, Micah’s input enhances it, turning Nelson’s 76th solo album, and 153rd altogether, into an ambient soundtrack of life’s winter as analog and digital recording and production color the songs in the same shade Micah uses under his Particle Kid nom de musique.
Willie sings and plays Trigger. Micah sings and plays acoustic, electric, bass and steel guitars; piano and synths; cello; drums; dulcimer; and more. Former Doors drummer John Densmore appears on four cuts. Daniel Lanois pops in on pedal steel; and Family members Mickey Raphael and Kevin Smith offer harmonica and double bass, respectively.
The team effort spills into the cover songs that fill the tracklist that includes Tom Waits’ melancholy “Last Leaf” and “House Where Nobody Lives;” Warren Zevon’s dying wish, “Keep Me in Your Heart,” and the Flaming Lips’ sonic existential crisis “Do You Realize??” among its highlights. And while it may be no surprise the Nelsons tackle Neil Young’s “Are You Ready for the Country” - Willie and Young are Farm Aid board members and Micah is a recent addition to Crazy Horse - the inclusion of Young’s Buffalo Springfield oddity “Broken Arrow” is both surprising and revelatory.
It follows the contours of the original from the “Mr. Soul” snippet on the intro to the jazzy outro and the Nelsons do great justice to the song by simultaneously distinguishing their version and not obscuring the original.
At 91, Willie Nelson is, of course, the titular Last Leaf on the Tree. But he’s not above a little fun. So after remaking his own “The Ghost,” Willie emerges from a fuzzy wall of dissonance to sing a short acoustic ditty - an untitled hidden track - that ends the LP with this warning:
“Don’t fuck with the mentally sick.”
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— Kristopher Weiss, jambands.com
Product Details
Willie Nelson has always understood that a great song belongs to whoever sings it truest. At 91, with a voice that carries every mile of a life fully lived, he brings that philosophy to bear on a repertoire most country fans would never expect, finding the lonesome heart beating inside songs far outside Nashville's orbit.
Willie Nelson is now in his 7th decade as a songwriter, performer, and recording artist, but one of his most underrated talents is song interpretation. Throughout his career, he has tackled songs from across the music world, making each his own. Now, for his 76th studio album and 153rd album overall as he celebrates his 91st year, Willie turns his gaze to a collection of songs by rock legends, idiosyncratic singer-songwriters, alt-rock heroes, and indie folk artists.
The result is a gorgeously cohesive rumination on loss, love, and world-weary hope, perfectly complemented by spare and spooky musical production. Lovingly curated and produced by his son Micah Nelson, Last Leaf On The Tree finds Willie covering songs from moody indie rock (Beck), psych alt-pop (The Flaming Lips) and punk-informed folk (Sunny War, Micah's Particle Kid) to thought-provoking soul jazz (Nina Simone) and lesser-known gems from legends like Tom Waits, Neil Young, Keith Richards, and Warren Zevon. In addition, the album features new takes on one of Willie's oldest songs ("The Ghost" from 1962) plus a new one penned with Micah ("The Color Of Sound") that joins Willie's collection of Zen-soaked classics.
In addition to producing, Micah Nelson plays many of the instruments and even designed the album cover. He is joined by a host of celebrated musicians, plus guest spots from legendary producer and musician Daniel Lanois, John Densmore of The Doors, and harmonica master Mickey Raphael, who has played alongside Willie for over 50 years.
Tracklist
Disc 1
1. Last Leaf (3:14)
2. If It Wasn't Broken (3:23)
3. Lost Cause (3:32)
4. Come Ye (3:34)
5. Keep Me In Your Heart (3:35)
6. Robbed Blind (4:03)
7. House Where Nobody Lives (4:10)
8. Are You Ready For The Country? (3:46)
9. Do You Realize?? (3:11)
10. Wheels (3:25)
11. Broken Arrow (6:40)
12. Color Of Sound (3:39)
13. The Ghost (5:11)
UPC: 198028368926
Label: Sony Legacy
Release Date: 11.1.24
Format: CD