Showing posts with label Country Blues Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Country Blues Reviews. Show all posts

5/07/2018

Country-Blues Review: Willie Nelson -Last Man Standing

Release Date: April 27, 2018
Label: Legacy

Willie Nelson is a National Treasure. He just keeps keepin’ on like very few recording artists do. In fact, many of them never live as long as Willie. 85 years young and he is still going strong.

Willie’s music has really grown on me over the years and most recently really caught my ear. The latest release is a country blues fest called Last Man Standing.

His tongue in cheek and matter of fact lyrics will put a smile on your face and warm your soul. The music is superb, it’s as simple as that. I love the combination of blues and country and always have. To make an outstanding record you need polished and experienced professionals like Willie. That would also include anyone he decides to bring into his camp to record his next album. That is exactly what you can expect from Last Man Standing.

I think the amazing thing about Willie is his resiliency throughout the years and the ability to make meaningful music. Some of the tracks are quite funny, like “Bad Breath.” Willie sings “It’s better to have bad breath than none at all.” That very point-blank frankness of the lyric tickled my funny bone.

Then there are tracks on the more serious heartfelt side like “Something You Get Through.” He sure can sing a ballad. As far as I can tell the man has not lost a step in his ability to play the guitar, compose a song and deliver it in his own unique way. 

Willie’s pensive “Last Man Standing” is a matter of fact and true to life story regarding the unavoidable finality of our time here on this planet. At first, he says he doesn’t want to be the last man standing then states, “Wait a minute, maybe a do!” He has lost some lifetime buddies like Waylon and Johnny etc. (Check out The Highway Men). Even though losing a good friend is a serious matter the man still can find the humor in what life brings us. That is an essential tool he uses frequently in his lyrics.

Listen to Willie sing “Heaven Is Closed” and hell is overcrowded so I think I will just stay where I am. Again, this points to the fact that perhaps this is the reality of the world we now live in. Then the bluesy country fried “She Made My Day” is a great tune about a relationship between a man and woman. This one line says it all… “She made my day but it ruined my life.” 

Last Man Standing is Willie Nelson at his very best. This will be one the hottest selling country albums in 2018, I have no doubt.

5/5 Stars

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
May 7, 2018

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Tracks: 
01. Last Man Standing
02. Don’t Tell Noah
03. Bad Breath
04. Me And You
05. Something You Get Through
06. Ready To Roar
07. Heaven Is Closed
08. I Ain’t Got Nothin’
09. She Made My Day
10. I’ll Try To Do Better Next Time
11. Very Far To Crawl