Two albums in one year from the all-time great and last surviving member of the Highwaymen, Willie Nelson delights on his seventy-sixth studio album. Longevity is impressive irrespective of genre, but the continuous desire to explore what country music can do for artists and audiences is not lost on Nelson. Last Leaf, the titular single from the upcoming album Last Leaf on the Tree does not hint at a farewell of any kind but maintains the consistencies heard in his work over the last few years. A wizened feature of the country genre, an always-touring and creating titan who has found a way to make the expected reflections of life in the USA through the covers of other artists. Nelson covering Tom Waits is a monumental move. The album, filled with nods to Beck, Neil Young and a scattering of originals too, is on the horizon. Waits is paid his dues with this Last Leaf cover, a remarkable and exciting cover.
It is the left-field covers which often present the best moments of an artist. From Nick Cave’s Death is Not the End to Johnny Cash’s rendition of The Mercy Seat, there is scope for grand and exciting results on Last Leaf. Ripped from the Bad as Me Waits album and plugged into the terrors of the world around him, Nelson seeks, as he always does, for the good and just left in the pockets of civilisation. A hearty cover of a Waits deep cut, the joys of an instrumental clarity and the homegrown appeal of the Nelson sound is heard through Last Leaf. His voice is as strong as it was in the glory days and the last leaf imagery is stronger, and more heartbreaking now, than ever. Kris Kristofferson’s passing leaves Nelson the last of a great range of country legends – particularly those he worked with so intimately. Last Leaf feels like a tremendous way to adapt Waits’ song to a new audience.
Nelson is not just implementing the heartfelt charms so frequently heard in his work but understanding his age and the longevity of his career. He has lasted longer than most groups or artists should and yet never feels past his sell-by date. Such is the confident courage of Last Leaf, which has Nelson assert there is much more left in the tank. Those inevitable flourishes on ageism and the turn of form felt in his twilight years is not a cliche to fall back on but a heartfelt occasion for Nelson. When every piece of work he puts out over the last five years feels like a fitting end, it is always a pleasure to hear more from him. Last Leaf depends on the usual suspects of his sound and gets him through another joyfully reflective song.
Last Leaf champions the longevity of one of the all-time greats but with the standard country expectations. It is a fittingly sharp piece of work, one which balances longevity with a humble appearance to his work. He has fought off world leaders, feelings of hate and the slump which affects so many of his colleagues no longer living. As this titular last leaf, Nelson knows his continued perseverance is a blindingly strong light for not just artists of a similar age but those who hope to find themselves in the same situation, as the final, bright power of an age of music which shaped what we listen to today. Sombre it may be, it is still a bold and enjoyably frank country effort from Nelson.
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