Credit: Dwight McCann

Willie Nelson announces 154th studio album ‘Oh What a Beautiful World’

Thu 13 March 2025 10:18, UK

Outlaw country pioneer Willie Nelson shows no signs of slowing down in his old age. The 91-year-old songwriter and vocalist has announced details of a brand new studio album, titled Oh What a Beautiful World, which will mark his 154th studio album since he first emerged into the music industry during the early 1960s.

Nelson’s first solo studio LP, …And Then I Wrote, was released in 1962, and since then, the country artist has worked tirelessly. Writing, recording, touring, and collaborating with other artists have been Nelson’s lifestyle choices for upwards of six decades now, and the announcement of Oh What a Beautiful World suggests he isn’t done just yet.

Set for release via Legacy Recordings, the same Sony-owned label that has released his work since 2012’s Heroes, the new record sees Nelson produce his own take on the work of fellow Texan country artist Rodney Crowell.

Crowell wrote or co-wrote every song on the album, including the title track, ‘Oh What a Beautiful World,’ which the Texan songwriter first released in 2014.

That title track has been released in full alongside the announcement of Nelson’s new record, and it sees Nelson adopt a fairly traditional honky tonk country sound. Crowell himself is featured as a guest on the song. According to the tracklisting, the title song is the only work on the album to feature Crowell as a performer.

Alongside the album, the 91-year-old musician has a busy few months ahead of him. Notably, the songwriter is due to embark upon the extensive Outlaw Music Festival Tour, which will see him perform alongside Bob Dylan.

Beginning in May, the tour will also feature performances by iconic names like Wilco, Waxahatchee, Sheryl Crow, Billy Strings, The Avett Brothers, and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats.

Oh What a Beautiful World will be released via Legacy Recordings on April 25th.