Published 2022-03-04 06:00
Legacy Recordings and Sony Music Entertainment will release "A Beautiful Time", Willie Nelson's new studio album, and 17th for the label, on Friday, April 29th, 2022. "A Beautiful Time" arrives on the artist's 89th birthday and will be available in on vinyl, black vinyl as well as an exclusive orange vinyl, CD and digital formats.
Among its many musical delights, "A Beautiful Time" introduces a variety of newly written future pop country classics, including 5 new Willie Nelson and Buddy Cannon compositions and contributions from some of Nashville's finest contemporary songwriters. The collection also premieres Willie's heartfelt and insightful covers of Leonard Cohen's "Tower of Song" and The Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends".
Produced by Willie's longtime musical collaborator Buddy Cannon, "A Beautiful Time" is a fully realized new studio album showcasing Willie and Trigger, his signature guitar, playing with musicians including Jim "Moose" Brown, B-3, Wurlitzer, Fred Elringham, drums, Barry Bales, upright bass, Bob Terry, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, steel guitar, James Mitchell, electric guitar, and the patented harmonic stylings of Mickey Raphael. Melonie Cannon sings backup on 5 of the album's tracks.
The album's core musical ensemble drives 8 of the essential tracks on "A Beautiful Time", "My Heart Was A Dancer", "Energy Follows Thought", "Dreamin' Again", "Dusty Bottles", "Me And My Partner", "Don't Touch Me There", and 2 of the album's most emotional performances, "I'll Love You Till The Day I Die" and "I Don't Go To Funerals".
The album's studio performances of 2 Shawn Camp songs, "A Beautiful Time" and "We're Not Happy", and Willie's interpretation of the Lennon McCartney classic, "With A Little Help From My Friends, feature Bobby Terry, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, Catherine Marx, Wurlitzer, piano, B-3, Mike Johnson, pedal steel, Chad Cromwell, drums, Lonnie Wilson, drums, percussion, and Kevin "Swine" Grantt, upright bass.