Last Leaf on the Tree is the 76th solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. It was released on November 1, 2024, through Legacy Recordings.[1] Produced and curated by Micah Nelson, the album contains songs from songwriters such as Beck, Tom Waits, Neil Young and Nina Simone, a new version of Nelson's 1962 song "The Ghost" and an original song ("The Color of Sound") cowritten by Willie and Micah Nelson.[2] Micah Nelson identified the through-line of the album as "facing death with grace".[3]
| Last Leaf on the Tree | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1, 2024 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 51:23 | |||
| Label | Legacy | |||
| Producer | Micah Nelson | |||
| Willie Nelson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Last Leaf | ||||
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The album's lead single and title track, a cover of Tom Waits's song "Last Leaf" from the 2011 album Bad as Me, was released on August 15, 2024.[3] The album's second single, a cover of The Flaming Lips' song "Do You Realize??", from their 2002 album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, was released on September 19, 2024. The third single, a cover of Beck's "Lost Cause" from his 2002 album Sea Change, was released on October 25, 2024.
Background
editNelson's manager Mark Rothbaum first suggested that Micah Nelson should produce an album for his father.[4] Micah Nelson took the minimalist production of Spirit as the starting point for the sound of the album, which was initially conceived as a Tom Waits tribute album before expanding in scope.[4] Texas Monthly described the album as "the closest thing to a true Trigger record since 2013’s Let’s Face the Music and Dance"; Micah Nelson aimed for the iconic guitar "to be the lead character".[5] Last Leaf on the Tree ends with a hidden track, "Looking for Trouble", described by Micah Nelson as "a very unserious moment."[4]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 84/100[6] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| The Arts Desk | [8] |
| FT | [9] |
| i | [10] |
Last Leaf on the Tree received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 84 out of 100 based on four reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[6]
Tim Cumming at The Arts Desk found Last Leaf on the Tree to be "on a higher level" than Nelson's "excellent" previous album The Border, praising Nelson's voice and guitar work, the production and choice of material.[8] No Depression concluded that "On Last Leaf on the Tree, Willie Nelson is still doing what he’s always done best: interpreting the songs of others and writing his own memorable melodies."[11]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Last Leaf" | 3:14 | |
| 2. | "If It Wasn't Broken" | Sydney Lyndella Ward | 3:23 |
| 3. | "Lost Cause" | Beck David Hansen | 3:32 |
| 4. | "Come Ye" | Nina Simone | 3:34 |
| 5. | "Keep Me in Your Heart" | 3:35 | |
| 6. | "Robbed Blind" | Keith Richards | 4:03 |
| 7. | "House Where Nobody Lives" | Waits | 4:10 |
| 8. | "Are You Ready for the Country?" | Neil Young | 3:46 |
| 9. | "Do You Realize??" | 3:11 | |
| 10. | "Wheels" | Micah Nelson | 3:25 |
| 11. | "Broken Arrow" ([note 1]) | Young | 6:40 |
| 12. | "Color of Sound" |
| 3:39 |
| 13. | "The Ghost" (includes hidden track[note 2]) | W. Nelson | 5:11 |
| Total length: | 51:23 | ||
Notes
- ^ Contains a snippet of "Mr. Soul"
- ^ "The Ghost" ends at 3:30, followed by hidden track "Looking for Trouble", which starts at 3:45.
Personnel
editMusicians
- Aroyn Davis – bass (track 11)
- John Densmore – percussion (tracks 1, 2, 6, 9)
- Sam Gendel – alto saxophone (tracks 4, 10, 11), recorder (12)
- Daniel Lanois – pedal steel guitar (track 13)
- Micah Nelson – acoustic guitar (tracks 1–9, 11–13), piano (1–3, 7, 11), surdo (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11), percussion (1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 11), cello (1, 3, 7, 9, 11), steel guitar (1, 6), background vocals (2, 3, 5–11, 13); bass, drums (2, 3, 5–9, 13); electric guitar (3, 4–7, 9, 11, 13), clapping (4, 8, 10), dulcimer (5), synthesizer (6, 10), slide guitar (8), Mellotron (13)
- Willie Nelson – lead vocals, Trigger
- Mickey Raphael – harmonica (tracks 1–9, 13), jaw harp (8)
- Kevin Smith – double bass (track 1)
- Nikita Sorokin – violin (tracks 2, 5, 9), fiddle (8)
- Magatte Sow – drums (track 4)
- Harlan Steinberger – clapping (track 4)
- Jeremy Steinberger – clapping (track 4)
Technical
- Steve Chadie – recording
- Emily Lazar – mastering
- Brando Marius – engineering
- Micah Nelson – production, mixing, recording, album art
- Mickey Raphael – engineering
- Harlan Steinberger – mixing, recording
- Randi Steinberger – photos
Charts
edit| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[12] | 63 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[13] | 14 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] | 37 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[15] | 39 |
| UK Americana Albums (OCC)[16] | 5 |
| UK Country Albums (OCC)[17] | 1 |
References
edit- ^ DeVille, Chris (August 15, 2024). "Willie Nelson Announces 152nd Album Last Leaf on the Tree". Stereogum. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil (August 15, 2024). "Willie Nelson Releasing 'Last Leaf on the Tree' Covers LP With Tracks Written By Beck, Tom Waits, Flaming Lips, Neil Young & More". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ a b Grow, Kory (August 15, 2024). "Hear Willie Nelson's Tom Waits Cover Ahead of Album That Finds Him 'Facing Death With Grace'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ a b c Blackstock, Peter (September 10, 2024). "WILLIE NELSON THE LAST LEAF ON THE TREE". Medium. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
- ^ Spong, John (October 30, 2024). "Love, Death, and a Bleating Goat: Inside Willie's Strange and Beautiful New Album". Texas Monthly. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
- ^ a b "Last Leaf on the Tree by Willie Nelson". Metacritic. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ Collar, Matt (1 November 2024). "Last Leaf on the Tree review". AllMusic. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ a b Cumming, Tim (1 November 2024). "Album: Willie Nelson - Last Leaf on the Tree". The Arts Desk. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
- ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (30 October 2024). "Album: Willie Nelson - The Border". FT. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ Power, Ed (1 November 2024). "Willie Nelson is still full of youthful mischief at 91". i. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
- ^ Carrigan, Henry. "ALBUM REVIEW: On 'Last Leaf on the Tree' Willie Nelson Contemplates Still Standing". No Depression. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ "Longplay Charts vom 12. November 2024". Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Willie Nelson – Last Leaf on the Tree". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ "Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 17, 2024.