Willie Nelson is set to release his first album of all new recordings since “Band of Brothers” in 2014, and it’s going to hit shelves and online media formats the day before his 84th birthday! After putting some health issues behind him, the country music legend plans to release the new album, entitled “God’s Problem Child,” on April 28. It will feature a number of collaborations, including guest vocals from the late Leon Russell (the very first person to sign “Trigger,” Willie’s iconic guitar). And fittingly, the album closes with “He Won’t Ever Be Gone,” a moving tribute to Nelson’s longtime friend, Merle Haggard, whose last album was 2015’s “Django & Jimmie,” in collaboration with Nelson.
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‘God’s Problem Child’: Willie Nelson’s New Album Release Scheduled for April 28
Photo: Wikimedia
The album opens with Nelson’s performance of “Little House On The Hill,” a song that was written by 92-year-old Lyndel Rhodes, Buddy Cannon’s (longtime producer and friend to Nelson) mother. And many may recall, in October 2016, a video of Rhodes hearing Nelson singing her song for the first time, became an internet viral sensation. The album goes on to mirror Nelson’s consistent career-long creativity in both writing and singing, seasoned with wit and wisdom, evidenced in the album track “Still Not Dead,” poking fun at the numerous hoaxes reporting his demise over the years.
Photo: Wikimedia
Not one to shy away from making a political statement, the collection also includes a track entitled “Delete and Fast Forward,” referencing the 2016 American presidential election. A politically-charged song to say the least, in an interview with Rolling Stone, Nelson identified it includes the line, “Delete and fast-forward, my friend. The elections are over and nobody wins. But don’t worry too much, you’ll go crazy again. Delete and fast forward, my friend.”
Photo: Wikimedia
Set to be released on various digital and physical formats, “God’s Problem Child” includes a total of 13 new songs to Nelson’s repertoire, including seven written by Nelson in collaboration with Buddy Cannon, his aforementioned producer, and friend. The title track, which was written by Jamey Johnson and Tony Joe White, includes vocals by both writers as well as Leon Russell (noted above) on what is being considered to possibly be Russell’s last recording.
Photo: Wikimedia
“God’s Problem Child” is Nelson’s 9th studio album under the Legacy label, and when he’s not in the studio, he’s on the road again. Performing more than 100 live shows last year (including Farm Aid and his 4th of July Picnic in Fort Worth, Texas), Nelson has scheduled new tour dates through August of this year and plans to feature song tracks from his new release at future shows. Exclusive fan product offerings for this album can be purchased at www.pledgemusic.com/willienelson and tickets for his tour dates can be found at willienelson.com/tour.
Sources:
Press Release Shock Ink