420. April 20th was a Tuesday this year, and since recordings are released on Tuesdays (thus iTunes Tuesday) what a prime opportunity for Willie Nelson to make use of that iconic number as a marketing tool, and put his latest album Country Music out then! I can hear the discussions in the boardroom, pro and con, back and forth. But Willie never falters in his Willie-ness. And he has a brand new label home, as he has hooked up with Rounder Records. Now that I think of it, it is highly unlikely that particular boardroom discussion would have ever happened there, a not-so-corporate little engine that could!

T Bone Burnett produced the new CD. “I’ve known T Bone for years, but never worked with him before,” Willie says. “He sent me a list of 28 songs he’d thought about for this album and I added “Nobody’s Fault But Mine. We recorded 23 and picked 15 out of that to release.” There was aiding and abetting from stellar sidemen, including Ronnie McCoury, Jim Lauderdale, and Buddy Miller. And there is a feeling of coming full circle with this effort, Willie returning to the vibe with which he recorded the landmark album Stardust, which is his most successful album to date. From the new CD, this sweet video of "Man With The Blues." Long may you wave, Willie!

-Jessie Scott