The Border

Willie Nelson returns with his 77th solo studio release—and 154th album overall—The Border, a project dedicated entirely to the songs of fellow Texas songwriter Rodney Crowell. This release continues Nelson’s long-standing tradition of curating albums focused on the work of a single songwriter, a practice that forms a significant strand of his extensive and influential discography.

Nelson and Crowell, both seminal figures in American songwriting, share a musical lineage that stretches back to the mid-1960s, when Crowell first encountered Nelson’s music on the radio and in live performances in Houston. Their artistic relationship began in earnest in 1983 when Nelson first recorded one of Crowell’s compositions—a practice he revisits over four decades later on The Border.

Produced by Nelson’s longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon, and featuring an ensemble of Nashville musicians, the album comprises twelve songs selected from across Crowell’s five-decade career. The title track, The Border, is performed as a duet between Nelson and Crowell, highlighting the enduring resonance of their shared musical vocabulary.

The collection spans from early works such as Banks of the Old Bandera (1976, originally recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker) and Shame on the Moon (1981, made famous by Bob Seger), through 1990s co-writes including What Kind of Love (written with Will Jennings, based on a Roy Orbison melody) and Stuff That Works (with Guy Clark). It also draws from Crowell’s early 2000s contributions to major country releases by Keith Urban and Tim McGraw, as well as four tracks from his critically acclaimed 2010s albums, and a piece released as recently as 2021.

The Border offers a compelling synthesis of interpretive fidelity and creative reinterpretation, cementing Nelson’s role as both an archivist and innovator within American roots music.

Tracklist

1. What Kind Of Love
2. Banks Of The Old Bandera
3. The Fly Boy & The Kid
4. Forty Miles From Nowhere
5. I Wouldn’t Be Me Without You
6. Making Memories Of Us
7. Oh What A Beautiful World (with Rodney Crowell)
8. Open Season On My Heart
9. Shame On The Moon 
10. She’s Back In Town 
11. Still Learning How To Fly
12. Stuff That Works