Featuring Ryan Adams

Willie Nelson Teams With Ryan Adams For New CD
August 16, 2006, 10:25 AM ET (Billboard)

Seventy-three-year-old music icon Willie Nelson collaborates with 31-year-old singer/songwriter Ryan Adams on his new album, Songbird. Due Oct. 31 via Lost Highway, the 11-track set was produced by Adams, whose band the Cardinals back Nelson throughout. Veteran harmonica player Mickey Raphael also appears.

The track list features covers of Gram Parsons’ “$1000 Wedding,” Christine McVie’s “Songbird,” the Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter favorite “Stella Blue” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”In addition, Nelson reworks his own “Rainy Day Blues” (which opens the album), “Sad Songs & Waltzes” and “We Don’t Run,” as well as tackling the traditional “Amazing Grace.”

Nelson is in the midst of a tour with John Fogerty and also has headlining dates on tap through a Sept. 15 appearance at the Austin City Limits festival. On Sept. 30 in Camden, N.J., he will join Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews and Jerry Lee Lewis for Farm Aid in Camden, N.J.

Here is the track list for “Songbird”:
“Rainy Day Blues”
“Songbird”
“Blue Hotel”
“Back to Earth”
“Stella Blue”
“Hallelujah”
“$1000 Wedding”
“We Don’t Run”
“Yours Love”
“Sad Songs & Waltzes”
“Amazing Grace”
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That sounds really interesting to me. Ryan has been a busy boy, also reuniting with ex-flame Leona Naess to lay down some vocals on her new upcoming album Thirteens. According to her MySpace, “Old East Village comrade, Ryan Adams, crashed a Manhattan studio and contributed his distinctive vocals (and new lyrics) to the reprise of ‘Leave Your Boyfriend’ in one take. Cello and piano were added in Woodstock over a long weekend.” Interesting choice of songs to collaborate on; that’s another release that I am looking forward to hearing.