Willie Nelson to Go Bluegrass on Next Album
Willie Nelson’s on the grass. But this time it’s blue.
Bluegrass is one of the hottest commodities in country music at the moment. All the more reason for Willie Nelson to jump on the bandwagon and release twelve of his solo written signature songs interpreted in bluegrass style. This is what will comprise his newest album Bluegrass to be released on September 15th.
Once again produced by long-time collaborator Buddy Cannon and released on Sony’s Legacy Recordings, top-shelf bluegrass greats Rob Ickes (dobro), Dan Tyminski (mandolin), Aubrey Haynie (fiddle), Ron Block (banjo), Josh Martin (acoustic guitar), Barry Bales (upright bass), Seth Taylor (mandolin) and Bobby Terry (acoustic guitar, gut string guitar) collaborate to bring Willie Nelson songs to life within the bluegrass genre.
Willie’s harmonica player Mickey Raphael also makes appearances, as does Wyatt Beard, Buddy Cannon, and daughter Melonie Cannon as background vocalists. Willie son Micah Nelson designed the cover art.
It’s quite remarkable when you consider that Willie Nelson reached the ripe old age of 90 in April, has released nearly 100 original albums of one sort or another, but this is the first time he’s veering into the bluegrass realm. It’s another sign that bluegrass is on the way up with the success of Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, and others shooing new life in to the country subgenre.
Willie Nelson has never really cited bluegrass as an influence on his music. Born in Texas and raised on Western Swing, it was Bob Wills who was Willie’s major influence as opposed to Bill Monroe. Nelson even got to perform with Bob Wills at an early age. Later Willie fell more in line with songwriting before becoming one of the primary catalysts for the Outlaw country movement.
Regardless, it’s hard to not be excited for a bluegrass album from Willie Nelson, who joins artists like Dwight Yoakam and Sturgill Simpson in reinterpreting their own catalogs bluegrass style. Willie has also showed over his last two studio albums that he’s still very much vital when it comes to performing songs in the studio. His 2022 album A Beautiful Time deservedly won the Grammy for Best Country Album, and his Harlan Howard tribute album from March called I Don’t Know a Thing About Love featured surprising strength from Willie’s voice.
Constantly on tour yet still finding time to get in the studio and release two albums a year, Willie Nelson isn’t slowing down any time soon. And fans are here for it.
The song “You Left Me a Long, Long Time Ago” is available now. Bluegrass is also available for pre-order.
TRACK LIST:
1. No Love Around
2. Somebody Pick Up My Pieces
3. Good Hearted Woman (co-written with Waylon Jennings)
4. Sad Songs And Waltzes
5. Home Motel
6. You Left Me A Long, Long Time Ago
7. Yesterday’s Wine
8. Bloody Mary Morning
9. Slow Down Old World
10. Still Is Still Moving To Me
11. On The Road Again
12. Man With The Blues
June 22, 2023 @ 6:15 pm
Man this is gonna be good!
June 22, 2023 @ 6:25 pm
Wow-wee! From the track listing, I know 10 of those songs; no filler and combined with the listed musicians, this album is bound to be one of Willie’s best. I’m a long time Willie Nelson fan and a big bluegrass fan, so I am definitely looking forward to buying this album.
June 23, 2023 @ 5:22 am
Sam nailed it. Merle Haggard : The Bluegrass Sessions album isn’t bad, but isn’t really bluegrass either, it’s more of a reworking of Haggards songs acoustically. And I’m thinking this might be a very similar deal. You have a bunch of Willie tunes, add members of Union Station plus a few other pickers and it’s a ” bluegrass ” album. Except that it’s not really.
If you have read Willie’s books, he’s not a bluegrass guy…at all. He’s made it clear he hates banjo. Unpopular take, I know, but I think this is gonna be a forgettable record, similar to Willie’s Countryman reggae album.
But he’s made more albums than anyone, and at 90 he’s a medical wonder,and he’s outlived his peers for the most part, so good on him for continuing to record and tour.
June 23, 2023 @ 6:34 am
Like y’all, I don’t think this is going to be a bona fide bluegrass record. Based on the first single. I think this is going to be a nice change of pace. Countryman was the aural equivalent of a fella in an ill fitting suit. This single makes me think the album will be in the vein of the swing Willie is known for championing with a mandolin chuck instead of snare and a reso standing in for the steel. That don’t sound bad to me at all.
June 23, 2023 @ 4:05 pm
He had a banjo player on Country Music, one of the best: Riley Baugus.
I’ve never read he hates banjo. Where did you read that?
June 24, 2023 @ 4:51 am
Happy,
I may have read that in Willie’s book : The Facts of Life and Other Dirty Jokes. Made me laugh when I read it but wasn’t surprised. He told the old joke about perfect pitch. And i think he commented that he was no fan of banjo or accordian. Willie is from Texas, not Kentucky. His heroes were Jimmie and Lefty and Bob and Django. Banjo wasn’t a part of any of that. Myself, as a fan of Willie and a fan of bluegrass, do not feel the least bit of any disappointment on Willie’s take. You named literally the only Willie album out of hundreds that has banjo on it. There’s a reason for that, he’s not a banjo guy. He’s much more a fan of guitar. He’s not really a mandolin guy either. And that’s just fine.
I really think the only reason he’s doing this album is to check one off the bucket list. He’s done multiple jazz albums, a blues album, some western swing, lots of Honky- Tonk, American standards, crooner music, reggae, singer songwriter records, tribute albums to his heroes and more collaborations than you can count. One ” bluegrass ” album would check another box. And maybe his people believe it’ll sell.
June 22, 2023 @ 6:47 pm
Kinda sad he and Billy Strings didn’t chow down a few edibles on the bus and write one!
June 23, 2023 @ 1:40 am
California sober
June 22, 2023 @ 6:51 pm
Willie’s 2010 album Country Music (Rounder Records) produced by T Bone Burnett with Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale was the closest we got to a bluegrass album.
I hope he tours with this outfit!
June 22, 2023 @ 6:55 pm
That was a fantastic album.
June 22, 2023 @ 9:18 pm
It is. I was thinking if he toured with a bluegrass outfit (what’s left of the family anyways), he could pull songs from that album too.
June 22, 2023 @ 7:23 pm
Holy crap this should be good
June 22, 2023 @ 8:25 pm
As with Merle’s “bluegrass” album, it doesn’t really sound like bluegrass.
June 22, 2023 @ 9:22 pm
Love Sad Songs & Waltzes it’s one of my favorite songs of Willie’s hope this rendition of it is as good as the original. Wish Willie had done this when he was younger but better late than never.
June 22, 2023 @ 9:24 pm
Step aside, ghost of James Brown. -This- is the living, singing, Hardest Working Man in Show Business!
For those of us new to Bluegrass, if we playlisted this upcoming album along with the originals, what should we be listening for?
June 23, 2023 @ 7:32 am
Expect acoustic renditions with perhaps more instrumental breaks. Fast tempo isn’t required in bluegrass, but it will be interesting to see if they bring some tempo to some of these songs like “Bloody Mary Morning.”
June 22, 2023 @ 11:45 pm
he is simply amazing!
June 23, 2023 @ 5:39 am
Will see Willie tonight with Molly Tuttle, Alison Krause, Robert Plant, opening. Excited to see what unfolds.
June 23, 2023 @ 5:58 am
Does he still have a tax bill to pay off or something? The world has had enough Willie Nelson for god’s sake.
June 23, 2023 @ 9:23 am
Nooo. Never enough! Down vote down vote! lol
June 23, 2023 @ 6:19 am
The potential problem I see is that Willie’s phrasing — with his vocal delivery consistently lagging well behind the beat — doesn’t work in a bluegrass setting, where the musicians’ adherence to a strict meter is a fundamental element of the style. But he’s Willie, so it will definitely be worth hearing, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he pulls it off with characteristic aplomb.
June 23, 2023 @ 9:31 am
Man I am enjoying this renaissance of bluegrass. Dont forget REK’s Happy Prisoner too. Manged to see Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle both this year and its done my heart good to see a young crowd taking to this music. There is hope they wont all listen to crap. Dont think Ive seen the youth take to it since what Jerry Garcia et al did in the 70s.
June 23, 2023 @ 5:23 pm
Hey there, folks! Brace yourselves for this mind-blowing news: Willie Nelson is about to unleash a BLUEGRASS album upon the world! ????????
Now, hold up a minute. I gotta say, this whole bluegrass thing has me feeling equal parts excited, peeved, concerned, and ridiculously overjoyed. It’s like a wild rollercoaster ride that’s also a culinary adventure, if you can imagine that.
It’s like Willie walked up to me, wearing a mischievous grin, and said, “Hey, buddy, I got some burger meat in my shed if that will diffuse the situation.” I mean, what? Bluegrass? Are you kidding me? But you know what? I’m strangely curious to see how this culinary concoction turns out.
I’m talking about blending Willie’s legendary voice, like a perfectly seasoned patty on the grill, with the twangy goodness of bluegrass instruments, like the tangy spices that bring out the flavors. It’s a recipe that could either be a culinary masterpiece or leave a weird aftertaste.
But hey, let’s not forget that Willie Nelson is a musical mastermind. He’s the maestro of surprises, and he’s never failed to deliver before. So, who am I to question the culinary genius in his shed?
So, Willie, my taste buds are tingling with anticipation. Let’s dive headfirst into this unexpected musical feast and see what delectable flavors await us. Bluegrass, burger meat, shed or whatever, I trust you to blow our minds once again! ????????????????
June 23, 2023 @ 6:09 pm
Speaking of Bluegrass, RIP Jesse McReynolds.
June 24, 2023 @ 11:26 am
100 albums is insane