In November Willie Nelson will release Last Leaf on the Tree, his 76th studio album and his second of the year. The record will be the first to be curated and produced by Nelson’s “Particle Kid,” Micah (who also did the cover art), and will feature many covers. The first single from the album is the title track, a version of Tom Waits’ “Last Leaf.”
When Waits was looking for a guest artist for a song about staying on the planet when many, with the same talent but similar flaws, have left it, he fell upon Keith Richards. At least they have the good grace to sound surprised, even chagrined, by their good luck. They are not saying that they deserve their good fortune, as such, just that it is a fact that they have it. It is wistful but warm, thanking the cosmos for the good fortune, but seemingly unsure what to do with the situation. Ambiguity is key to Waits. Richards’ guitar playing captures his sense of good fortune.
Nelson is less a leaf than a venerable old oak tree. He has seen many things during his time, growing up and plunging down roots deep into the earth of the country he loves. He may be closer to the end of the journey than the start, but he appreciates the opportunity to continue. He does not replicate Waits graveled tones, and strikes a more upbeat message. He retains the pastoral tone of major key in F, but adds a little pace. If the universe is going to give him more time, he is going to use it productively, to create the music that he loves and we love him for. An added advantage of being as venerable as Nelson is that you can call on the best to support you in the endeavours that are left to you. Here Daniel Lanois provides the benefit of his decades of working with the best, providing atmospherics on the pedal steel. This is a triumph of mood and message.
