Article Contributed by Craft Recordings
Published on January 8, 2026
Craft Recordings and HighTone Records are proud to kick off the year with a standout album from one of the greatest names in the Americana genre, Willie Nelson. Originally released in 2010 and helmed by esteemed producer T Bone Burnett, the GRAMMY®-nominated album, Country Music, finds the iconic artist putting his distinctive touch on 15 country standards, including Hank Williams’ “House of Gold,” Ernest Tubb’s “Seaman’s Blues,” Merle Travis’ “Dark as a Dungeon,” as well as his very own 1959 single, “Man with the Blues.”
Arriving on February 27th and available for pre-order today, Country Music comes as a 2-LP set, housed in a gatefold jacket, while fans can find a selection of limited-edition pressings, including Sky Blue Swirl vinyl (exclusively at Barnes & Noble) and Opaque Grass Green (Books-A-Million). Country Music will also be available on CD and hi-res digital on February 27.
Before he became one of America’s most beloved figures, singer, songwriter, actor, and activist Willie Nelson was working behind the scenes in Nashville, penning country hits for the likes of Patsy Cline (“Crazy”), Billy Walker (“Funny How Time Slips Away”), and Faron Young (“Hello Walls”). Though he would soon find staggering success as a pioneer of the outlaw country sound, it was this formative period that shaped his artistry and established him as a force to be reckoned with. Half a century later, after countless awards and a range of musically diverse projects, he recorded his very first album of country standards.
Aptly titled Country Music, Nelson’s 2010—his first for Rounder Records—found him returning to Nashville to interpret the foundational tunes that inspired him. “They’re all really good songs that I grew up singing,” Nelson told CMT of the tracklist. Speaking to The Boot, he added that the material “speaks to you in a lot of ways and you feel it move you. You cry or laugh; when you have those kinds of emotions, when a song brings them out, it’s pretty safe to say this is a great song.”
Nelson worked with the celebrated producer T Bone Burnett, who aimed for a rustic sound with stripped-down arrangements and traditional instrumentation—brought to life by some of Nashville’s finest, including Buddy Miller (guitar), Ronnie McCoury (mandolin), Russell Pahl (pedal steel), and Stuart Duncan (fiddle). The tracklist, meanwhile, ranges from traditional spirituals like “Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down” and “Nobody’s Fault but Mine,” to foundational favorites like Al Dexter’s “Pistol Packin’ Mama,” Merle Travis’ “Dark as a Dungeon,” and Earnest Tubb’s “Seaman’s Blues.” Nelson and Burnett also selected mid-century staples like Hank Williams’ “House of Gold,” Bill Mack’s “Drinking Champagne,” and Hazel Houser’s “My Baby’s Gone.” And, in a fitting nod to his own legacy, Nelson opens the album by revisiting one of his earliest singles—1959’s “Man With the Blues.”
Released in April 2010, Country Music proved to be another success for Nelson. In addition to debuting at No.4 on Billboard’s Country Albums chart and No.20 on the Billboard 200, it earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Americana Album. It was also met with broad critical acclaim from the likes of Paste, Q, Billboard, No Depression, and American Songwriter, which hailed Country Music as “Willie at his finest.” Slant Magazine called the album “an essential addition to Nelson’s rich catalogue,” while The Los Angeles Times declared it to be “deeply satisfying.” PopMatters praised, “This is easily the new millennium’s most effective showcase of the gifts that Nelson’s reputation rests upon. It…remind[s] us that there’s no one like Willie Nelson.”
Today, Willie Nelson remains a defining American figure, with an influential catalog of work that spans well over 100 studio and live albums. At 92, he shows no sign of slowing down, having recently released solo studio albums—Oh What a Beautiful World in April 2025 and Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle in November. Long celebrated for his musical impact and his tireless activism, Nelson has been inducted into the Country Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the National Agricultural Hall of Fame, and the Texas Institute of Letters. A Kennedy Center honoree and a longtime member of the Grand Ole Opry, he has also received a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award and the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize, among numerous other honors throughout his remarkable career.
Country Music marks the second reissue under the recently relaunched HighTone Records, which made its 2025 return with the first ever vinyl release of Tulare Dust: A Songwriter’s Tribute to Merle Haggard . in 1983, the revered Americana label served as a home for groundbreaking voices across in blues, country, gospel, rockabilly, and Western swing music, including Joe Ely, Joe Louis Walker, Dick Dale, Rosie Flores, Gary Stewart, Geoff Muldaur, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Concord acquired the label in 2016, and today Craft Recordings continues that legacy. The revitalized HighTone Records will spotlight a diverse range of Americana, roots, and country releases (including those from the label’s expansive vaults alongside selections from the acclaimed catalogs of Rounder, Vanguard, and more). For updates and upcoming releases, visit HighToneRecords.com and follow @HighToneRecords.
Click here to pre-order Country Music.
Tracklist (2-LP Vinyl)
Side A:
1. Man With The Blues
2. Seaman’s Blues
3. Dark As A Dungeon
4. Gotta Walk Alone
Side B:
1. Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down
2. My Baby’s Gone
3. Freight Train Boogie
4. Satisfied Mind
Side C:
1. You Done Me Wrong
2. Pistol Packin’ Mama
3. Ocean Of Diamonds
4. Drinking Champagne
Side D:
1. I Am A Pilgrim
2. House Of Gold
3. Nobody’s Fault But Mine
Tracklist (CD/Digital)
1. Man With The Blues
2. Seaman’s Blues
3. Dark As A Dungeon
4. Gotta Walk Alone
5. Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down
6. My Baby’s Gone
7. Freight Train Boogie
8. Satisfied Mind
9. You Done Me Wrong
10. Pistol Packin’ Mama
11. Ocean Of Diamonds
12. Drinking Champagne
13. I Am A Pilgrim
14. House Of Gold
15. Nobody’s Fault But Mine
