Willie Nelson Announces 70th Studio Album, ‘First Rose of Spring’

Willie Nelson has announced the upcoming release of his 70th studio album. The enormously prolific country music icon will release First Rose of Spring on Friday, April 24.

Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, is slated to release First Rose of Spring on CD, vinyl and in digital formats. The album's title track, "First Rose of Spring," is set for release on Friday (Feb. 21), accompanied by a music video.

First Rose of Spring is Nelson's 14th album for Legacy Recordings.

First Rose of Spring features two entirely new songs, "Blue Star" and "Love Just Laughed," as well as Nelson's interpretations of songs written by a variety of pop and country songwriters, including Chris Stapleton and Toby Keith. Nelson covers Keith's "Don't Let the Old Man In," and he also offers up his rendition of a brand-new Stapleton song titled "Our Song." A press release describes First Rose of Spring as "an atmospheric soulful showcase of beautifully-written songs and poignant performances." Nelson worked with longtime producer Buddy Cannon on the 11 new tracks, and his son, Micah, created the album's artwork.

First Rose of Spring is Nelson's first new collection of songs since he won the 2020 Best Country Solo Performance Grammy Award for "Ride Me Back Home," the title track from his most recent album from 2019, which Legacy Recordings also released. That gave Nelson his tenth overall Grammy win, following his 2018 win for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for My Way, his musical tribute to Frank Sinatra.

First Rose of Spring is currently available for pre-order across a variety of formats. Click on the video at the top of the story to hear the album's title track, and view a complete tracklisting below. There are also special fan packages available for order via Nelson's official website.

Willie Nelson's First Rose of Spring Tracklisting:

1. "First Rose of Spring" (Randy Houser, Allen Shamblin & Mark Beeson)
2. "Blue Star" (Willie Nelson & Buddy Cannon)
3. "I'll Break Out Again Tonight" (Sanger "Whitey" Shafer & Doodle Owens)
4. "Don't Let The Old Man In" (Toby Keith)
5. "Just Bummin' Around" (Pete Graves)
6. "Our Song" (Chris Stapleton)
7. "We Are The Cowboys" (Billy Joe Shaver)
8. "Stealing Home" (Marla Cannon-Goodman, Casey Beathard & Don Sampson)
9. "I'm The Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised" (Wayne Kemp, Bobby Borchers & Mack Vickery)
10. "Love Just Laughed" (Willie Nelson & Buddy Cannon)
11. "Yesterday When I Was Young" (Hier Encore) (Charles Aznavour & Herbert Kretzmer)

See Pictures of Willie Nelson Through the Years