It feels impossible that Willie Nelson is still releasing music at all. 60 years in the music industry, he could've kicked his feet up 20 years ago. Instead, he keeps trooping along with an album every year. Sometimes, he'll even double up and drop two records in a year. Over 100 albums into Nelson's career, old age doesn't seem to alter his production at all.
Videos by Wide Open Country
What's shocking is how Willie continues to release great music all these years later. Usually, the creative well dries up, the inspiration usually takes a downturn, and the desire to create dims just a little. What do you have to say when you're in the twilight of life? Nelson seems to find comfort in reimagining old songs in his image.
Recently, Willie Nelson released his latest album Last Leaf On The Tree. It plays in a lot of the ways you might expect: grizzled, contemplative, warm. Usually, it'd be a pretty breezy listen of some tender campfire country tunes. But it's the cover of Warren Zevon's "Keep Me In Your Heart" that swells the most.
Willie Nelson Still Goes Strong on Warm Cover of "Keep Me In Your Heart"
Musically, Nelson's "Keep Me In Your Heart" plays it relatively straight, basking in the crispness of the guitar, the woodsy squeal of the harmonica. But the impact finds itself beneath the surface. At 91 years old, a simple call to keep the love strong takes on a newer frame when looking through the lens of our mortality. "These wheels keep on turning but they're running out of steam. Keep me in your heart for a while," Willie sings.
In a lot of ways, Nelson vocally projects in the same way his Highwaymen cohort Johnny Cash did on his cover of "Hurt." There's a withered quality to his voice that you can't replicate without the seasoning from age. Gone are the days you'll hear Willie croon about Georgia with his higher register. Instead, he's tired and just wants to remain close with the time he has left. It's dour, especially on an album where he refers to himself as 'the last leaf on the tree.' But he doesn't wallow in the conclusion, he basks in the fact the love still persists and always will.
