Frighteningly prolific musician Willie Nelson will not stop. With Last Leaf on the Tree just around the corner, The Border is now an afterthought. Two albums in the same year from a man who has dabbled in just about every genre he can. What a titan. There is a sincere, out-there force which drives the creative notions of Nelson, who gives it his heartfelt all once more on this album. This is not some slapdash album of country non-specifics but another in a long line of essential pieces from Nelson, whose style has an unwavering consistency to it – now more than ever. Passion is the key to this. Longevity is one thing but kindling a deeply held interest and love for his songs is impressive. The Border will be tied to words like heartfelt and comfortable forevermore, but it is much more than this.
There is a boldness to its title track, an opening sway which would not be out of place in those charged commentaries on the everyday lives of border workers. Smugglers and seedy encounters leave more of an impression on the man overlooking them than those involved, and Nelson finds this through charmed guitar work and a multitude of metaphors, grounded as they are close to greed and gluttony. What stands tall throughout all this is Nelson, a voice worth listening to now more than ever, a strength to it which goes beyond making music for the sake of it. He is an artist with his hands on a contemporary brilliance still, one of the few to have it after such a long while on the creative frontlines. The Border transcends the usual country tropes and, given the state of modern trials in the genre, we will be lost without Nelson.
So on he goes, continuing to hold the familiarly high bar in his music as he did decades before. Pieces like Once Upon a Yesterday understand the simple bits done right is all it takes. Paired with What if I’m Out of My Mind and Nelson enjoys the comfortable swing and lighter joys of love in the open plains. These are moments and messages which can be extracted from this occasion, planted anywhere and applied to all. The Border has a tremendously open adaptive process, shocking considering its reliance on the divide between the USA and Mexico. But it should be expected from the versatility of an artist of Nelson’s stature. Short and pleasant pieces soon follow and make for a relaxing, romantic experience.
Nelson may find himself stuck in the past on The Border but what a time it is. Joyful experiences and the dreams which now plague his present day are considered with real care to them and the stories they craft. Wonderful little notes of flourishing country quality, Nelson finds life and joy in his hometown still with new riffs on old topics. The Border settles nicely from there and marks a great continuation of the homegrown sounds of one of the all-time greats. Hank’s Guitar and Nobody Knows Me Like You hold firm with a tenderness almost expected of Nelson at this point. They are welcome additions and highlight the darker days amid the lighter charms.
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