Country Icon Willie Nelson Reinvents His Timeless Hits With a Breathtaking Bluegrass Makeover on Bluegrass. ML

Willie Nelson will reinterpret some of his classic songs with a group of world-class pickers on his new album Bluegrass. The project, which marks the 90-year-old country legend’s 151st (or so) album release, arrives Sept. 15 and is introduced with a new rendition of “You Left Me a Long, Long Time Ago.”

The original version of “You Left Me a Long, Long Time Ago,” from Nelson’s 1972 album The Willie Way, was a full-band production that was steeped in piano and pedal steel, belying its relatively quick tempo. This new version featuring only acoustic instruments, is slower and heavier, with Nelson’s voice occasionally accented by delicate harmonies.

Nelson is joined on Bluegrass by some of the best in the business, including Barry Bales (upright bass), Ron Block (banjo), Aubrey Haynie (fiddle), Rob Ickes (dobro), Josh Martin (acoustic guitar), Mickey Raphael (harmonica), Seth Taylor (mandolin), Bobby Terry (guitar), and Dan Tyminski (mandolin), with backing singers including Wyatt Beard, Buddy Cannon, and Melonie Cannon. The selections are all Nelson compositions, from well-known numbers like “Good Hearted Woman” (which he wrote with Waylon Jennings) and “On the Road Again” to lesser-known gems like 1993’s “Still Is Still Moving to Me” and the 1963 tune “Home Motel.”