Last Leaf on the Tree

by Willie Nelson

Overview

Although recognized as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Willie Nelson is a master interpreter who can make any song his own, which is why his covers albums, like 2024's poignantly rustic Last Leaf on the Tree, are often his most affecting. Produced and recorded with his son Micah Nelson, the album finds the 91-year-old Nelson easing into a handful of thoughtfully curated songs by artists from across the musical spectrum. It's an intimate vibe he's been conjuring on and off for much of his career, following each big studio album, like 2024's The Border, with a more pared-down recording of standards and cover tunes. As a singer, Nelson brings an immense gravitas and pathos to these performances with his trademark light vocal warble, punctuated by just a hint of aged grit. It's a style that grabs you from the start with his sun-dappled reading of the Tom Waits title track, a song whose lyrics underscore the overall feeling of looking back on one's life while also cherishing each small moment. Equally poetic moments follow, as his take on Beck's "Lost Cause," Warren Zevon and Jorge Calderon's "Keep Me in Your Heart," and his transcendent rendition of the Flaming Lips' "Do You Realize??" There's an earthy, live-in-studio quality to the album as Micah frames his father in woody acoustic guitars, piano, pedal steel, and, as on "Color of Sound" (one of the three originals that pop up at the end of the album), the haunting Andean lute. There are also vital contributions by several close associates, including founding Doors drummer John Densmore, guitarist Daniel Lanois, harmonica player Mickey Raphael, and percussionist Magatte Snow. With Last Leaf on the Tree, Willie Nelson and Micah have crafted a relaxed album of subtle virtuosity, as if every song could be the last. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	11/01/2024
Label:	Sony Legacy
UPC:	0198028368926

Tracks

1. Last Leaf
2. If It Wasn't Broken
3. Lost Cause
4. Come Ye
5. Keep Me in Your Heart
6. Robbed Blind
7. House Where Nobody Lives
8. Are You Ready for the Country?
9. Do You Realize??
10. Wheels
11. Broken Arrow
12. Color of Sound
13. The Ghost

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Willie Nelson   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Lead Vocals
Micah Nelson   Slide Guitar,Guitar (Steel),Lap Steel Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background),Percussion (African),Bass,Cello,Drums,Piano,Stick,Surdo,Guitar,Charango,Clapping,Dulcimer,Mellotron,Percussion,Synthesizer,Handclapping
Magatte Sow   Drums,Sabar
Kevin Smith   Double Bass,Bass (Upright)
Mickey Raphael   Harmonia,Jaw Harp,Harmonica,Bass Harmonica
Jeremy Steinberger   Clapping,Handclapping
John Densmore   Percussion,Native Percussion
Sam Gendel   Recorder,Saxophone,Contrabass,Sax (Alto)
Nikita Sorokin   Fiddle,Violin
Aroyn Davis   Bass
Harlan Steinberger   Clapping,Handclapping

Technical Credits

Micah Nelson   Mixing Engineer,Logo,Mixing,Artwork,Composer,Engineer,Lyricist,Producer
Brando Marius   Engineer
Shannon Finnegan   Production Coordination
Beck Hansen   Composer,Lyricist
Steve Chadie   Engineer
Steven Drozd   Composer,Lyricist
Mickey Raphael   Engineer
Jorge Calderon   Composer,Lyricist
Wayne Coyne   Composer,Lyricist
Kathleen Brennan   Composer,Lyricist
Neil Young   Composer,Lyricist
Sydney Lyndella Ward   Composer,Lyricist
Randi Steinberger   Photography
Harlan Steinberger   Mixing Engineer,Mixing,Engineer
Willie Nelson   Composer,Lyricist,Drum Triggers
Tom Waits   Composer,Lyricist
Dave Fridmann   Composer,Lyricist
Keith Richards   Composer,Lyricist
Warren Zevon   Composer,Lyricist
Sam Gendel   Arranger
Emily Lazar   Mastering Engineer,Mastering
Nina Simone   Composer,Lyricist
Michael Ivins   Composer,Lyricist