Island in the Sea

Album by Willie Nelson
Island in the Sea
Studio album by
Willie Nelson
Released1987
GenreCountry
LabelColumbia
Producer
  • Willie Nelson
  • Grady Martin
  • Booker T. Jones
Willie Nelson chronology
Partners
(1986) 		Island in the Sea
(1987) 		Seashores of Old Mexico
(1987)

Island in the Sea is a studio album by the American musician Willie Nelson, released in 1987.[1][2] The album contains two singles: the title track and "Nobody There but Me", which respectively reached No. 27 and No. 82 on the Hot Country Songs charts.[3] "The Last Thing on My Mind" is a cover of the Tom Paxton song.[4]

The book Willie Nelson: The Outlaw calls the album "a laid-back slice of old-time textures, including Hawaiian music, yodeling, folk, and country, with four [sic] overproduced tracks by Booker T. Jones tacked on at the end."[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Philadelphia Inquirer[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]

The Philadelphia Inquirer praised Nelson's original compositions.[6] The Vancouver Sun deemed the album "a trifle better than standard Willie."[8] The Orange County Register noted that the album's first side "features the spine-tingling beauty of the unadorned Nelson sound."[9] USA Today considered the title track to be the album's best song.[10]

Track listing

  1. "Island in the Sea" (W. Nelson) - 2:19
  2. "Wake Me When It's Over" (W. Nelson) - 3:17
  3. "Little Things" (W. Nelson, Shirley Collie Nelson) - 4:23
  4. "The Last Thing on My Mind" (Tom Paxton) - 5:17
  5. "There Is No Easy Way (But There Is a Way)" (W. Nelson) - 2:32
  6. "Nobody There but Me" (Bruce Hornsby, John Hornsby, Charlie Haden) - 2:47
  7. "Cold November Wind" (Phyllis Horne) - 4:18
  8. "Women Who Love Too Much" (Booker T. Jones, Waylon Jennings) - 4:45
  9. "All in the Name of Love" (Jones, Jennings) - 4:59
  10. "Sky Train" (Jones, Jennings) - 2:39

Personnel

Compiled from Island in the Sea liner notes.[11]

Musicians
On "Nobody There but Me"
Technical
  • Bobby Arnold - engineering
  • Larry Greenhill - engineering
  • Booker T. Jones - production (tracks 8-10), engineering
  • Grady Martin - production (track 7)
  • Willie Nelson - production (tracks 1-6)
  • Denny Purcell - mastering
  • Glenn Rieuf - engineering
  • Chip Young - engineering

Chart performance

Chart (1987) Peak position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums 14

References

  1. ^ Tucker, Ken (18 June 1987). "Summer Music". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D1.
  2. ^ Boehm, Mike (August 3, 1987). "Willie delivers it all in strong crowd-pleaser". The Providence Journal. p. A13.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2012). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2012. Record Research, Inc. p. 238. ISBN 978-0-89820-203-8.
  4. ^ Davis, Rick (September 11, 1987). "Music". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. C2.
  5. ^ Thomson, Graeme (31 July 2012). Willie Nelson: The Outlaw. Random House. ISBN 9781448133413.
  6. ^ a b Tucker, Ken (5 July 1987). "Willie Nelson Island in the Sea". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. I5.
  7. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 499.
  8. ^ Mackie, John (18 July 1987). "Willie Nelson: Island in the Sea". Vancouver Sun. p. D8.
  9. ^ Davis, Noel (September 4, 1987). "Willie Nelson Island in the Sea". Orange County Register. p. P40.
  10. ^ Oermann, Robert K. (December 11, 1987). "It's Star Time". USA Today.
  11. ^ Island in the Sea (CD insert). Willie Nelson. Columbia Records. 1987. 40487.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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