Last Leaf on the Tree

生きる伝説ウィリー・ネルソン 通算153枚目となる 最新アルバム『Last Leaf On The Tree』は、トム・ウェイツ、ニール・ヤング、ベック他、多彩なアーティストの楽曲のカバー作品集

今年91歳を迎えるウィリー・ネルソンの76枚目、通算153枚目となるスタジオ・アルバム。息子のマイカ・ネルソンがプロデュースし、トム・ウェイツ、キース・リチャーズ、ニール・ヤング、ニーナ・シモンからベック、サニー・ウォー、ザ・フレーミング・リップスまで、多彩なアーティストの楽曲をカバーした作品。さらに、ウィリーの最も古い曲(1962年の「The Ghost」)の新テイクに加え、マイカとの共作による新曲「The Color Of Sound」も収録。伝説的なプロデューサー兼ミュージシャンのダニエル・ラノワ、ドアーズのジョン・デンスモア、50年以上ウィリーと共に演奏してきたハーモニカの巨匠ミッキー・ラファエルがゲスト参加。

Although recognized as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Willie Nelson is a master interpreter who can make any song his own, which is why his covers albums, like 2024s poignantly rustic Last Leaf on the Tree, are often his most affecting. Produced and recorded with his son Micah Nelson, the album finds the 91-year-old Nelson easing into a handful of thoughtfully curated songs by artists from across the musical spectrum. Its an intimate vibe hes been conjuring on and off for much of his career, following each big studio album, like 2024s The Border, with a more pared-down recording of standards and cover tunes. As a singer, Nelson brings an immense gravitas and pathos to these performances with his trademark light vocal warble, punctuated by just a hint of aged grit. Its a style that grabs you from the start with his sun-dappled reading of the Tom Waits title track, a song whose lyrics underscore the overall feeling of looking back on ones life while also cherishing each small moment. Equally poetic moments follow, as his take on Becks "Lost Cause," Warren Zevon and Jorge Calderons "Keep Me in Your Heart," and his transcendent rendition of the Flaming Lips "Do You Realize??" Theres an earthy, live-in-studio quality to the album as Micah frames his father in woody acoustic guitars, piano, pedal steel, and, as on "Color of Sound" (one of the three originals that pop up at the end of the album), the haunting Andean lute. There are also vital contributions by several close associates, including founding Doors drummer John Densmore, guitarist Daniel Lanois, harmonica player Mickey Raphael, and percussionist Magatte Snow. With Last Leaf on the Tree, Willie Nelson and Micah have crafted a relaxed album of subtle virtuosity, as if every song could be the last. ~ Matt Collar

91歳となった2024年も溌溂とした雄姿を見せてくれたウィリー。通算153枚目のアルバムは現代著名アーティストたちの楽曲を取り上げたカヴァー集で、トム・ウェイツやニール・ヤング、ベックにフレーミング・リップスといった面々の楽曲(絶妙なチョイス!)を苦み走ったしわがれ声で魅惑的に料理してみせる。深淵な闇が広がる"The Ghost"のセルフ・カヴァーにはマジ痺れた。
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