The Border LEGACY

Superb second album of Nelson’s 10th decade.

By Andrew Mueller

8/10

Master nonagenarian: Willie Nelson

IT is already beyond serious argument that the string of tremendous albums issued by Nelson during his eighties established a formidable benchmark in the admittedly little-contested field of octogenarian discographies. Having blown out 90 candles in April 2023, Nelson is now setting adaunting standard for future nonagenarians who fancy taking him on.

Just as last year’s Bluegrass was adeft reworking of adozen of his own classics to make them sound even more like traditional standards than they already did, The Border further demonstrates that Nelson feels he no longer has time to faff around overmuch with titles –this is an album located where Texas abuts Mexico, and where the music of each overlap. The cover shows the ochre mesas of the Big Bend National Park, along the frontier.

The title and opening track is further unsubtle if effective scene-setting. “The Border”, borrowed from Rodney Crowell’s 2019 album Texas, channels the quiet desperation of aUS Border Patrol officer, neither song nor its protagonist fishing for sympathy, merely relating that this is how things are (“I work on the border, and it’s workin’ on me”). It is smart writing, understanding that the view of any given political conundrum tends to get less clear the closer one gets to it, and Nelson does it abundant justice: his gruff grumble suits the narrator’s weary stoicism, and not for the last time on this album, those gnarled fingers wring flamencoflavoured miracles from the fretboard of that battered, antique Martin. “The Border” is not Crowell’s only contribution –his 1989 hit “Many ALong And Lonesome Highway” also appears, possibly by way of averting the crime against nature that would have been Willie Nelson neglecting to record agiven song called “Many ALong And Lonesome Highway”.

PAMELASPRINGSTEEN

Of the remaining eight tracks, four are new songs by Nelson and long-time collaborator Buddy Cannon, four by other composers. Though Nelson at this point possesses gravitas sufficient to make any song he sings sound like his own, care has been taken to find songs he can wear especially comfortably. The lovely Larry Cordle/Erin Emberlin cut “I Wrote This Song For You” is sung straight through the fourth wall in the style of Nelson’s own “Sad Songs &Waltzes” (“I hope you hear it on/Some lonely late-night radio”), though it’s significantly less vindictive. The Shawn Camp/Monty Holmes shuffle “Made In Texas” is aplausible new anthem for Nelson’s home state, though only Nelson’s deadpan drawl could locate so much double-edged nuance in the bumpersticker zinger “You can always tell aTexan/ But you can’t tell him much”.