Willie Nelson Puts His Spin on a Dozen Rodney Crowell-Penned Songs on New Album ‘Oh What a Beautiful World’

Rodney Crowell is a legendary, award-winning singer/songwriter from Texas. He found mainstream success in the late ’80s and early ’90s. However, he never stopped writing top-tier country songs. As a result, his songs have been recorded by countless artists including Keith Urban, Wynonna Judd, and Willie Nelson. Later this year, Nelson will release Oh What a Beautiful World, an album of Crowell’s songs.

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Yesterday (March 11), Nelson announced the album with the lead single and title track, a duet with Crowell. “Oh What a Beautiful World” originally appeared on Crowell’s 2014 album Tarpaper Sky and would have been a perfect fit for Nelson’s most recent album, Last Leaf on the Tree. The song examines the passage of time and the desire to hold on to the beauty of every moment.

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Oh What a Beautiful World will feature 12 songs written or co-written by Crowell over the course of his career. It will feature early tracks like “Banks of the Old Bandera,” and “Shame on the Moon,” which was a hit for Bob Seger. Additionally, Nelson will put his spin on later hits like “What Kind of Love” and “Stuff That Works,” which was a co-write with Guy Clark and a standout among the iconic songwriter’s catalog.

Nelson has been singing Crowell’s songs for decades. Crowell penned the title track from Nelson’s 2024 album The Border. The album also included the Crowell-penned “Many a Long and Lonesome Highway.” With Oh What a Beautiful World, fans get to hear one Texas legend paying tribute to another.

More Info on Willie Nelson’s Tribute to Rodney Crowell

Oh What a Beautiful World, produced by Buddy Cannon, will be available everywhere via Legacy Recordings on April 25.

Tracklist:

1. “What Kind of Love” (Rodney Crowell, Will Jennings, Roy Orbison)
2. “Banks of the Old Bandera” (Crowell)
3. “The Fly Boy & The Kid” (Crowell)
4. “Forry Miles from Nowhere” (Crowell)
5. “I Wouldn’t Be Me Without You” (Crowell)
6. “Making Memories of Us” (Crowell)
7. “Oh What a Beautiful World” with Rodney Crowell (Crowell)
8. “Open Season on My Heart” (Crowell, James Slater)
9. “Shame on the Moon” (Crowell)
10. “She’s Back in Town” (Crowell)
11. “Still Learning to Fly” (Crowell)
12. “Stuff That Works” (Crowell, Guy Clark)

Featured Image by Gary Miller/FilmMagic