An atmospheric soulful showcase of beautifully-written songs and poignant performances, First Rose Of Spring is Willie Nelson’s first new release since winning the 2020 Best Country Solo Performance Grammy Award – Willie's 10th overall, not including his Grammy Legend and Lifetime Achievement Awards – for “Ride Me Back Home”, the title track from his 2019 Legacy Recordings release.
The previous year, My Way, Willie's musical homage to Frank Sinatra took home the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Premiering 11 new Willie Nelson studio performances and featuring original artwork created by Willie's son Micah, First Rose Of Spring finds Willie working again with long-time friend and producer Buddy Cannon and debuts two new songs co-written by the pair: “Blue Star” and “Love Just Laughed”.
Alongside his new compositions on the album, Willie pays musical tribute to a
variety of pop and country songwriters and performers, interpreting songs penned
by Toby Keith (“Don't Let The Old Man In”), Billy Joe Shaver (“We Are The
Cowboys”) and Pete Graves (“Just Bummin' Around” – a song recorded by
Jimmy Dean, Dean Martin and others).
An intimate journey through life and love as seen through Willie's unique
perspective First Rose Of Spring finds the artist deep in every moment, sharing
profound insights and experiences through songs he's written and songs he loves
to sing. Among the younger songwriters celebrated on the album are the composing
teams Randy Houser, Allen Shamblin & Mark Beeson (‘First Rose Of
Spring’) and Marla Cannon-Goodman, Casey Beathard & Don Sampson
(‘Stealing Home’).
Closing First Rose Of Spring is Willie's sublime performance of Charles Aznavour's ‘Hier encore’, a 1964 chanson which became an American country classic (and Roy Clark's biggest hit) as ‘Yesterday When I Was Young’ (English lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer) in 1969 and, over the years, became a beloved standard performed by a multitude of stars including Bing Crosby, Shirley Bassey, Dusty Springfield, Mel Tormé, Jack Jones, Lena Horne, Andy Williams, Glen Campbell, Julio Iglesias, Johnny Mathis, Elton John and many more. A bittersweet reflection on mortality and life's transient (and transcendent) beauty, ‘Yesterday When I Was Young’ conveys universal thoughts and emotions. On First Rose Of Spring Willie Nelson shares those feelings through music and makes every song his own.