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Last Leaf on the Tree

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Last Leaf on the Tree
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 1, 2024
Studio
GenreCountry
Length51:23
LabelLegacy
ProducerMicah Nelson
Willie Nelson chronology
The Border
(2024)
Last Leaf on the Tree
(2024)
Singles from Last Leaf
  1. "Last Leaf"
    Released: August 15, 2024
  2. "Do You Realize??"
    Released: September 19, 2024
  3. "Lost Cause"
    Released: October 25, 2024

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]

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

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Nelson'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]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic84/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
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]
Last Leaf on the Tree track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Last Leaf"3:14
2."If It Wasn't Broken"Sydney Lyndella Ward3:23
3."Lost Cause"Beck David Hansen3:32
4."Come Ye"Nina Simone3:34
5."Keep Me in Your Heart"3:35
6."Robbed Blind"Keith Richards4:03
7."House Where Nobody Lives"Waits4:10
8."Are You Ready for the Country?"Neil Young3:46
9."Do You Realize??"3:11
10."Wheels"Micah Nelson3:25
11."Broken Arrow" ([note 1])Young6:40
12."Color of Sound"
  • Willie Nelson
  • M. Nelson
3:39
13."The Ghost" (includes hidden track[note 2])W. Nelson5:11
Total length:51:23

Notes

  1. ^ Contains a snippet of "Mr. Soul"
  2. ^ "The Ghost" ends at 3:30, followed by hidden track "Looking for Trouble", which starts at 3:45.

Personnel

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Musicians

Technical

Charts

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Chart performance for Last Leaf on the Tree
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[12] 14
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[13] 39
UK Americana Albums (OCC)[14] 5
UK Country Albums (OCC)[15] 2

References

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  1. ^ DeVille, Chris (August 15, 2024). "Willie Nelson Announces 152nd Album Last Leaf on the Tree". Stereogum. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b c Blackstock, Peter (September 10, 2024). "WILLIE NELSON THE LAST LEAF ON THE TREE". Medium. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ a b "Last Leaf on the Tree by Willie Nelson". Metacritic. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  7. ^ Collar, Matt (1 November 2024). "Last Leaf on the Tree review". AllMusic. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Cumming, Tim (1 November 2024). "Album: Willie Nelson - Last Leaf on the Tree". The Arts Desk. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  9. ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (30 October 2024). "Album: Willie Nelson - The Border". FT. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  10. ^ Power, Ed (1 November 2024). "Willie Nelson is still full of youthful mischief at 91". i. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  11. ^ Carrigan, Henry. "ALBUM REVIEW: On 'Last Leaf on the Tree' Willie Nelson Contemplates Still Standing". No Depression. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  12. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  13. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  14. ^ "Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  15. ^ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 9, 2024.