With the passing of his buddies Waylon Jennings, Ray Price and Merle Haggard, country legend Willie Nelson feels like he's among the last of his contemporaries remaining, hence his new album title, Last Man Standing.
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Details On the Record
Last Man Standing is slated for an April 27 release date, only a few days before Nelson's 85th birthday on the 29th. Nelson has already come out with a video for the title track where he sings the opening lines, "I don't wanna be the last man standing/Or wait a minute maybe I do/If you don't mind I'll start a new line/And decide after thinking it through."
Nelson's last album, God's Problem Child, came out the day before his 84th birthday, marking the seventh studio album Nelson released with Legacy Records. Like God's Problem Child, Last Man Standing will feature collaborations with producer Buddy Cannon with whom Nelson has been working with for a decade.
The two are known to write lyrics in a rather unconventional way - through text messages. And when they're in the studio, they let things flow naturally. "Willie's a jazz singer and jazz player," Taste of Country quotes Cannon. "He's an improvisational musician. It's different every time. Get a good take and go with it."
Leading Up to Last
With the new record, it's likely that fans will hear Nelson's teasing of immortality. Though illness, such as his bout with the flu, has led the musician to cancel some tour dates, Nelson was photographed high-kicking a punching bag once he started to feel better.
Nelson has quite the lineup of tour dates, as seen on his website here, including a show on his property in Spicewood, Texas at the Luck Reunion coinciding with SXSW.
Last Man Standing Tracklisting:
1. "Last Man Standing"
2. "Don't Tell Noah"
3. "Bad Breath"
4. "Me And You"
5. "Something You Get Through"
6. "Ready To Roar"
7. "Heaven Is Closed"
8. "I Ain't Got Nothin'"
9. "She Made My Day"
10. "I'll Try To Do Better Next Time"
11. "Very Far To Crawl"
