Willie Nelson Announces ‘Oh What a Beautiful World’, 154th Album of His Legendary Career

Willie Nelson cannot be stopped — and thank god for that. The legendary songwriter has announced a new album, marking his 154th (!!!) studio LP and 77th solo effort. It’s called Oh What a Beautiful World and is set to arrive on April 25th via Legacy Recordings. As a preview, Nelson has unveiled the title track.
Oh What a Beautiful World continues Nelson’s history of spending an entire album interpreting the work of a notable songwriter. This time around, he’ll be taking on 12 songs either written or co-written by Texas artist Rodney Crowell, someone whose career often intersected with Nelson’s. Pre-orders are ongoing.

As a first taste, Nelson has shared his take on “Oh What a Beautiful World,” originally released on Crowell’s 2014 effort Tarpaper Sky. For his rendition, Nelson plays it traditional and pretty, with country harmonies and tender honky tonk instrumentation. As a special bonus, Crowell himself guests on the tune.

The country legend has a busy year ahead of him. In addition to the news of the upcoming album, Nelson also has a slew of tour dates on the books, including the star-studded “Outlaw Music Festival Tour” with Bob Dylan beginning in May. The 34-date concert series will feature a rotating lineup of supporting acts, including Wilco, Waxahatchee, Billy Strings, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, The Avett Brothers, Sheryl Crow, and many more.

Oh What a Beautiful World Tracklist:
01. What Kind of Love
02. Banks of the Old Bandera
03. The Fly Boy & the Kid
04. Forty Miles from Nowhere
05. I Wouldn’t Be Me Without You
06. Making Memories of Us
07. Oh What a Beautiful World (with Rodney Crowell)
08. Ope Season on My Heart
09. Shame on the Moon
10. She’s Back in Town
11. Still Learning to Fly
12. Stuff That Works