11/15/2022 0 Comments Gods problem childIt’s all any of us can hope for, really." "He’s not going to go gentle into that good night, and he’s going to make vital, life-affirming work till his last breath. “Not a day goes by that I don’t miss him,” Willie sings here, cementing forever that even though Willie has written some of the best love songs ever, his songs about having good times with his friends are often the most emotionally wrenching. Willie looks back fondly on them getting stoned together and writing songs for each other, and how they were brothers. Willie and Merle were touring together when Merle fell ill and died last year, so the news hit him especially hard. The album’s emotional showstopper is “He Won’t Ever Be Gone,” a song about Merle Haggard’s death. “Your Memory Has A Mind Of It’s Own” is maybe the only sincere country song about memory loss ever written, while “Still Not Dead” confronts waking up and surfing the web to find that the world is convinced you’re dead. There’s “Old Time,” a song that will have anyone that wakes up every morning to see their hairline receding and their paunch expanding in their feels (“Pray for mercy and a few more days” Willie sings). The original title of God’s Problem Child was I’m Not Dead, a direct reference to the health scare reports, and the fact that death and aging hang over the album like spectres. Willie himself has had some health scares the last 12 months-his manager has had to come out recently to deny reports that he was “gravely ill”-but he perseveres with God’s Problem Child, his 61st-ish studio album (depending on what you count) and first of original material since 2014. Waylon, Johnny, Merle, Elvis, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins to a man they’ve passed on and left Willie as the only O.G. Willie’s old enough to remember World War II first hand he’s lived long enough to see his music issued on seven different delivery platforms (45, LP, 8-Track, Cassette, CD, MP3, Streaming Service) and to have outlived every single one of his contemporaries. In five days, and one after this album physically comes out, Willie Nelson turns 84. This week's album is Willie Nelson's God's Problem Child. God’s Problem Child is a must listen for his fan base and lovers of country music.Every week, we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. That he is able to create such a high quality album is a testament to his talent as one of country music’s most creative musicians. That Willie Nelson is still recording and performing about 100 concerts a years in his mid-80’s is remarkable. Perhaps the best track is “Little House on The Hill.” It was written by the 92 year old Lyndel Rhodes, who is the mother of producer Buddy Cannon. The album’s final track, “He Won’t Ever Be Gone, is his eulogy to friend and fellow-country musician Merle Haggard. The title track includes a vocal performance by Leon Russell, in what may have been his last performance before his death. There are two tracks that reflect his age. The more serious “Delete and Fast-Forward” are his thoughts about the recent Presidential election. There have been a number of reports Nelson’s death and “Still Not Dead” is his making fun of the situation. His new album travels in a number of directions. His voice may have lost a little of its power but he makes up for that fact with wonderful phrasing. His voice is instantly recognizable and he has the ability to interpret songs from many different styles. Nelson is now considered an American musical icon. While my copy of the album is on vinyl with a crystal clear sound, it has also been released digitally and as a CD. Lately he has relied on cover songs and albums dedicated to other people’s music, but now all 13 tracks are newly recorded songs, including seven co-written by Nelson. At the age of 84, he has returned with one of the better albums of his career titled God’s Problem Child. Willie Nelson is like Old Man River he just keeps rolling along.
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