That's Life is the 71st solo studio album by Willie Nelson. It was released on February 26, 2021, by Legacy Recordings.[1] A tribute to Frank Sinatra, it represents the second volume of Nelson's Sinatra collection, following 2018's My Way.[2]
| That's Life | ||||
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| Released | February 26, 2021 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 34:38 | |||
| Label | Legacy | |||
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| Willie Nelson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from That's Life | ||||
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Produced by Buddy Cannon and Matt Rollings, it was mainly recorded on Capitol Studios, the original studio used for several of Sinatra's recordings. Additional tracks were recorded at Nelson's Pedernales studio. The release was mixed by engineer Al Schmitt, featuring string and brass arrangements. The cover of the album features a painting of Nelson evoking the cover of Sinatra's In the Wee Small Hours.[1]
That's Life was nominated for the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.[3]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 80/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| American Songwriter | [6] |
That's Life 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 80 out of 100 based on five reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[4]
Lee Zimmerman of American Songwriter said that Nelson "captures the feel and finesse of the original renditions and succeeds in making them his own."[6] In The Daily Telegraph Neil McCormick praised the "different pathos" Nelson brought to the material and characterised the album as "another loving and elegant tribute to an old friend and American legend."[7]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nice Work If You Can Get It" | 2:35 | |
| 2. | "Just in Time" | 2:25 | |
| 3. | "A Cottage for Sale" |
| 2:54 |
| 4. | "I've Got You Under My Skin" | Cole Porter | 3:34 |
| 5. | "You Make Me Feel So Young" | 2:52 | |
| 6. | "I Won't Dance" (featuring Diana Krall) | 3:25 | |
| 7. | "That's Life" | 3:39 | |
| 8. | "Luck Be a Lady" | Frank Loesser | 3:04 |
| 9. | "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" | 2:58 | |
| 10. | "Learnin' the Blues" | Dolores Silvers | 3:31 |
| 11. | "Lonesome Road" | 3:41 | |
| Total length: | 34:38 | ||
Personnel
editMusicians
- Willie Nelson – vocals, drum triggers
- David Angell – strings
- Monisa Angell – strings
- Carrie Bailey – strings
- Kevin Bate – strings
- Jay Bellerose – clapping, drums, tambourine
- Buddy Cannon – clapping
- Ed Cherney – clapping
- Jeff Coffin – tenor saxophone
- David Davidson – strings
- Mark Douthit – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone
- Conni Ellisor – strings
- Matt Forbes – clapping
- Paul Franklin – steel guitar
- Barry Green – trombone
- Cornelia Heard – strings
- Alison Hoffman – strings
- Chris McDonald – trombone
- Paul Nelson – strings
- Dean Parks – acoustic guitar, clapping, electric guitar
- Steve Patrick – piccolo trumpet, trumpet
- David Piltch – bass, clapping
- Mickey Raphael – harmonica
- Sari Reist – strings
- Matt Rollings – clapping, organ, piano, vibraphone
- Karen Winkelmann – strings
- Kristin Wilkinson – strings
Technical
- Buddy Cannon – production
- Matt Rollings – production, engineering, arrangements
- Eric Boulanger – mastering
- Al Schmitt – mixing
- Niko Bolas – mixing
- Dan Rudin – engineering
- Paul Silveria – engineering
- Ed Cherney – recording
- Steve Chadie – recording
- Tony Castle – recording
- Chandler Harrod – engineering assistance
- Charlie Kramsky – engineering assistance
- Jeff Fitzpatrick – engineering assistance
- Lucas Glenney-Tagtmeier – engineering assistance
- Sean Badum – engineering assistance
- Shane Burgess – engineering assistance
- Steve Genewick – engineering assistance
Visuals
- Frank Harkins – art direction, design
- Paul Mann – illustrations
- James Minchin – back cover photo
Charts
edit| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] | 97 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[9] | 33 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[10] | 18 |
| US Billboard 200[11] | 58 |
References
edit- ^ a b Iahn, Buddy (December 11, 2020). "Willie Nelson releasing second Frank Sinatra covers album". Legacy Recordings. The Music Universe. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Variety staff (July 20, 2018). "Willie Nelson to Release Frank Sinatra Tribute Album 'My Way'". Variety. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Minsker, Evan (April 3, 2022). "Grammys 2022 Winners: See the Full List Here". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
- ^ a b "That's Life by Willie Nelson". Metacritic. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "That's Life - Willie Nelson | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ a b Zimmerman, Lee (25 February 2021). "Willie Nelson Takes On Frank Sinatra With 'That's Life'". American Songwriter. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ McCormick, Neil (February 25, 2021). "On That's Life, Willie Nelson sings a heartfelt tribute to Sinatra and America". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Willie Nelson – That's Life" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Willie Nelson – That's Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ "Willie Nelson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 9, 2021.