Willie Nelson’s ‘First Rose of Spring’: Album Review – Variety

No one can complain about Willie Nelson not acting at his age … which is an impressive feat at the age of 87. During the album’s recent string, he was willing to dedicate more or less content to aging reflections, including regaining regrets (or lack thereof) – he recounts Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” and sweet memories, or even more, of lovers Judging by the themes of his current songs, big sleep is something that always stays in his mind.

After a gentle one-two-three punch in 201’s “God’s Problem Child”, “Last Man Standing” and last year’s “Ride Me Back Home”, some critics refer to the album as a “death trilogy.” Surprise: With his new “Spring First Rose” it’s officially a tetrology. Stay tuned until 2021, when Nelson will surely bring us the fifth installment in the design of the Doors of Heaven paradise.

At least it’s a high-level output, officially: “Spring of First Rose” is officially his 70th studio album, and it almost seems like he reached 100 before he did his discography. You can almost imagine that he and his producer / co-author, Buddy Cannon, have had a kind of assembly line that will spread these albums about all sorts of autumns for a few years now … which is a fun factory to imagine. The fact is, though, that he’s on a downward spiral of excellence, and if any of these albums appear to be fast-paced, rather than fashionable, like a workaholic, we’ll probably be making some kind of startling statement without dipping into it. ‘ In supply. “First Rose” is good enough to blush, however.

He and Canon have dropped the main problem this time around – after writing all five tracks for “Problem Child” and “Last Man”, they’ve dropped to just two in this effort. However, there is an opportunity to show what a good song picker they are and to take a closer look at the themes that fit in with the latest favorite themes.

As an opener, the title track (written by Randy Hauser, Allen Shamblin and Mark Bison – names that would mean something to the fans of the country) is a deep, almost lifelong romantic love story that leads to his wife’s death. It’s a wail, but Nielsen is even more innocent about death in the original song that it is after “Blue Star”, where the veteran narrator told his younger companion (“If I beat you to the end, I’ll have a big head start) True”) Exactly where to meet him in the night sky.

Everything that needs to be done with advanced age does not anticipate the final screen. Toby Keith’s “The Old Man in the Old Man” written for Clint Eastwood’s “The Mule” about maintaining a junior perspective as an elder. Here’s a sad nostalgic companion piece to the saddest and perhaps best song, “Stealing Home,” Miranda Lambert’s “The House The Built Me Me” – a testament to how you both can’t go home again in later life.

There are Jimmy assistants, Jimmy Dean / Dean Martin Hubo / Rat Pack / Slacker classic “Just Booming Around” and a version of the Johnny Pecheck prison-themed hit “I’m the Only Hell Raised My Mama” Nelson had to remake, as Merle Haggard ever did. How Nelson marches on the calendar makes the album truly awesome but turns into a strangely raised beauty when it’s a mix of Jane and Rui during Chronicling. You can’t even be half-oxygenated to appreciate its deep, sweet fun … or that vocal guitar. Words that aren’t as bad as his voice.He can be this unfortunate trigger-happy.

Willie Nelson
“The first rose of spring”
Sony Legacy

Producer: Buddy Cannon. Composers: Nelson, Canon, Chad Cromwell, Kevin “Swine” Grant, Mike Johnson, Katherine Marks, Larry Paxton, Mickey Raphael, Bobby Terry, Lonnie Wilson.