The Willie Nelson Family

The Willie Nelson Family
The Willie Nelson Family
Studio album by Willie Nelson
Released	November 19, 2021
Studio	Pedernales Recording (Spicewood, Texas)
Genre	Country
Length	31:55
Label	Legacy Recordings
Producer	Willie Nelson, Steve Chadie
Willie Nelson chronology

The Willie Nelson Family is a collaborative studio album by Willie Nelson, his sons Lukas and Micah, his daughters Paula and Amy and his sister Bobbie Nelson, accompanied by the Family Band. The album was Bobbie's final before her death in 2022. The record includes covers of inspirational songs and reinterpretations of Nelson's classics. Lukas Nelson sings lead on the songs "All Things Must Pass" and "Keep It on the Sunnyside" and Micah Nelson sings lead on "Why Me". It was released on November 19, 2021.^[1] The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.^[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	69/100^[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[4]
NME	^[5]

The Willie Nelson Family received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 69 out of 100 based on five reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[3]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Heaven and Hell"	Willie Nelson	2:22
2.	"Kneel at the Feet of Jesus"	Nelson	2:29
3.	"Laying My Burdens Down"	Nelson	1:48
4.	"Family Bible"	Nelson	2:48
5.	"In the Garden"	C. Austin Miles	3:24
6.	"All Things Must Pass"	George Harrison	3:36
7.	"I Saw the Light"	Hank Williams	1:52
8.	"In God's Eyes"	Nelson	2:55
9.	"Keep It on the Sunnyside"	A. P. Carter	2:54
10.	"I Thought About You, Lord"	Nelson	3:20
11.	"Too Sick to Pray"	Nelson	2:15
12.	"Why Me"	Kris Kristofferson	2:12
Total length:			31:55

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes.

Performance

Billy English – drums
Paul English – percussion
Amy Nelson – background vocals
Bobbie Nelson – piano
Lukas Nelson – acoustic guitar, background vocals, lead vocals on "All Things Must Pass" and "Keep It On The Sunnyside"
Micah Nelson – acoustic guitar, drums, bass, background vocals, lead vocals on "Why Me"
Paula Nelson – background vocals
Willie Nelson – lead vocals, background vocals, Trigger
Mickey Raphael – harmonica
Kevin Smith – bass

Production

Steve Chadie – production, recording, mixing
Shannon Finnegan – production coordinator
Charlie Kramsky – assistant engineer
Willie Nelson – production
Jerry Tubb – mastering

Other personnel

Dalton Campbell – photography
Frank Harkins – design
Christopher Wray McCann – additional photography

References

^ "Willie Nelson Covers George Harrison, Kris Kristofferson on New 'Family' Album". Rolling Stone. Emmis Communications LLC. September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
^ "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". Grammy.com. November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "The Willie Nelson Family by Willie Nelson". Metacritic. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Willie Nelson Family - Willie Nelson | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
^ Cooper, Leonie (17 November 2021). "Willie Nelson – 'The Willie Nelson Family' review: a tender passing of the torch". NME. Retrieved January 13, 2022.

[1] "Willie Nelson Covers George Harrison, Kris Kristofferson on New 'Family' Album". Rolling Stone. Emmis Communications LLC. September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.

[2] "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". Grammy.com. November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.

[Metacritic-3] "The Willie Nelson Family by Willie Nelson". Metacritic. Retrieved January 13, 2022.

[AllMusic-4] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Willie Nelson Family - Willie Nelson | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 13, 2022.

[NME-5] Cooper, Leonie (17 November 2021). "Willie Nelson – 'The Willie Nelson Family' review: a tender passing of the torch". NME. Retrieved January 13, 2022.

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