He does it again.
Today, the legendary, inimitable Willie Nelson released his 75th solo studio album The Border (to go along with his 26 collaborative studio albums), and it marks his 152nd career album in total.
The Border was produced by Willie’s longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon, and includes four new original songs written by the two of them. In 2023, Nelson released two studio albums, I Don’t Know a Thing About Love and Bluegrass.
In 2022, he won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album for his A Beautiful Time record.
At 91 years old and already an icon in the music world and beyond, it’s hard to say anything new about the icon that is Willie Nelson at this point, but there’s a reason he’s been doing it for so long and staying at the top of his game.
On The Border, which features two previously-released tracks in “Made In Texas,” as well as the title track that served as the lead single, Willie once again tackles life, love and everything in between on standouts like “I Wrote This Song For You,” “Kiss Me When You’re Through” and many others.
Per the usual, he has delivered solid tunes that still blow all the youngsters out of the water. Hey, you don’t get to be a country icon without being the best with every single release, no matter your age.
His masterful songwriting is once again on display, which is a theme throughout his career and has been his superpower from the start, At his core, Willie is a storyteller and a songwriter above all else, and it’s truly a gift that he continues to share that once-in-a-lifetime talent with the world.
As he’s proven time again (and is extremely evident on this record), age really is just a number, but it comes with a lot of wisdom and unique life lessons that put Willie a cut above everybody else… and always will. Long live the red headed stranger.
Check out some of my early favorites below:
“I Wrote This Song For You”
“Kiss Me When You’re Through”
“How Much Does It Cost”
“What If I’m Out Of My Mind”
The Border tracklist:
01 “The Border”
02 “Once Upon A Yesterday”
03 “What If I’m Out Of My Mind”
04 “I Wrote This Song For You”
05 “Kiss Me When You’re Through”
06 “Many A Long And Lonesome Highway”
07 “Hank’s Guitar”
08 “Made In Texas”
09 “Nobody Knows Me Like You”
10 “How Much Does It Cost”
