New York, NY (Top40 Charts / Legacy Recordings) God's Problem Child, Willie Nelson's new studio album (and 9th for Sony/Legacy Recordings) has entered the Billboard Country chart at #1, making it the artist's second US country chart-topper in less than two years. Nelson's 6th Legacy release, Django and Jimmie, an unforgettable musical collaboration with Merle Haggard, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country chart in June 2015. God's Problem Child is Willie's first album to debut all-new songs since Band of Brothers (his 4th Legacy release) reached #1 on the Billboard Country chart (and #5 on the Billboard 200) in June 2014. Willie's new album has also entered the Billboard 200 at #10 and is his third Legacy release to break into the Top 10 pop charts.
God's Problem Child was released on April 28, on the eve of Willie's 84th birthday (April 29).
Summertime: Willie
Nelson Sings Gershwin, Willie's 7th Legacy album, took home the Grammy for 2016's Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. That album debuted at #1 on both the Top Current Jazz chart and the Top Traditional Jazz chart following its release in February 2016.
God's Problem Child is being lauded in both the mainstream and underground press as an essential addition to the Willie
Nelson catalog with The Wall Street Journal naming it one of "This Spring's Best Country Albums."
Rolling Stone called God's Problem Child "...a tightly-woven, poignant collection of ruminations on aging and fading faculties that amounts to Nelson's most moving album in decades." The Los Angeles Times concurred praising "…the most bountiful batch of
Nelson songs since 2014's 'Band of Brothers.'"
"....one of pop culture's few reigning icons who remain creatively engaged," noted Paste who wrote that God's Problem Child "...feels like Nelson's personal state of the union....as vital as anything he's done."
"The key," opined the Austin American-Statesman, "is a near perfect balance between Willie as songwriter and as interpreter." Wide Open Country summed up, saying, "God's Problem Child is a peek into the next chapter in the book of Willie, a promise that he's not even close to being done and another helpful guide on how to live. It's been a wild ride and it sure as hell ain't over yet. Thank God."
Appreciation is shared across the Atlantic where the UK's Uncut praised the new song "Still Not Dead" as "one of Willie's modern masterpieces" and God's Problem Child as "an album that can stand comfortably alongside any of his iconic work.... approaching life and love from angles that can only result from a career spent studying both with a restless sense of wonder. It's the kind of perspective that most songwriters can only dream of attaining-for Willie Nelson, it's just another day at the office."
Willie has lensed several music videos for songs from God's Problem Child. These include "Still Not Dead", which pokes fun at the many exaggerated reports of his demise he's heard over the years, and the album's closer, "He Won't Ever Be Gone," a song written by Gary Nicholson which pays tribute to Willie's outlaw country comrade, Merle Haggard. (Haggard's last album was 2015's Django and Jimmie, his musical collaboration with Willie Nelson.)
An album that reflects on mortality while marveling at the beauty and absurdity of it all, God's Problem Child finds Willie
Nelson at one of the creative peaks of his career, writing and singing with the seasoned wit and wisdom that can only come from the kind of life he's living.
Nelson continues making music every day. When he's not in the studio, Willie's on the road and performed more than 100 live shows in the past year. Coming up on his calendar are a number of tour dates in June and July including the Outlaw
Music Festival and Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic in Austin. For details on Willie's upcoming performances.
WILLIE NELSON
GOD'S PROBLEM CHILD
1.
Little House On The Hill (Lyndel Rhodes)
2. Old Timer (Donnie Fritz / Lenny LeBlanc)
3. True Love (Willie
Nelson /
Buddy Cannon)
4. Delete And Fast Forward (Willie
Nelson /
Buddy Cannon)
5. A Woman's Love (Mike Reid / Sam Hunter)
6. Your Memory Has A Mind Of Its Own (Willie
Nelson /
Buddy Cannon)
7. Butterfly (Sonny Throckmorton / Mark Sherrill)
8. Still Not Dead (Willie
Nelson /
Buddy Cannon)
9. God's Problem Child (Jamey Johnson / Tony Joe White)
10. It Gets Easier (Willie
Nelson /
Buddy Cannon)
11. Lady Luck (Willie
Nelson /
Buddy Cannon)
12. I Made A Mistake (Willie
Nelson /
Buddy Cannon)
13. He Won't Ever Be Gone (Gary Nicholson)
Willie
Nelson & Legacy Recordings
In February 2012, Willie
Nelson entered into an historic new record deal with Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony
Music Entertainment, marking a label homecoming for Nelson, who, from 1975-1993, had cut a phenomenal string of top-selling singles and albums for Columbia Records, beginning with 1975's seminal smash Red Headed Stranger. New titles by the artist under the Legacy imprint will include newly recorded songs and performances as well as archival releases, personally curated by the artist, drawn from all phases of his career including his recordings for RCA Records and others.
Since signing with Legacy, Willie
Nelson has sold more than 1 million albums for the label.
Nelson's album releases for Legacy Recordings have included:
God's Problem Child (2017)
For The Good Times: A Tribute To Ray Price (2016)
Summertime:Willie
Nelson Sings Gershwin (2016)
Django and Jimmie (2015) (with Merle Haggard)
December Day: Willie's Stash, Vol. 1 (2014) (with Bobbie Nelson)
Band of Brothers (2014)
To All The Girls... (2013)
Let's Face The
Music And Dance (2013)
Heroes (2012)
