Heroes (Willie Nelson album)
Heroes | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 15, 2012 | |||
Studio | Pedernales Recording in Austin, Cannon Recording and Sound Emporium in Nashville | |||
Genre | Country, outlaw country | |||
Length | 58:31 | |||
Label | Legacy | |||
Producer | Buddy Cannon | |||
Willie Nelson chronology | ||||
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Singles from Heroes | ||||
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Heroes is the 60th studio album by American country music singer
A cover version of Coldplay's song "The Scientist", which was originally released as a single in 2011, was included in the album release after a major reception for a Chipotle Mexican Grill advertising aired during Super Bowl XLVI. Nelson's version plays during the closing credits of the 2014 movie The Judge.
The single "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die" was released on 420 day, and the tracks "Just Breathe" and "Come On Back Jesus" were released as singles during Record Store Day 2012.
Upon its release, it received favorable reviews. Heroes peaked at number four on Billboard's Top Country Albums and reached number 18 on the Billboard 200.
Background and recording
Heroes was produced by
Originally, the album was named after the track "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die", but was then changed to Heroes after Nelson and his production team decided that the original name could deter conservative sale outlets.[2] Lukas Nelson suggested recording Pearl Jam's "Just Breathe", while his brother Micah suggested "Come On Up To The House".[3]
Most of the tracks on the album were recorded by
Release and reception
The cover of Coldplay's song "The Scientist", was originally released as a single in 2011. The song was included on Heroes after it gained public recognition for its use on a Chipotle restaurant television advertisement that was aired during Super Bowl XLVI.[4] "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die" was released on April 20, 2012, to celebrate 420 day. The same day, Nelson performed the song live during the unveiling of his statue in Austin, Texas.[5][6] The tracks "Just Breathe" and "Come On Back Jesus", were released as singles along with the non-album cut "Can I Sleep In Your Arms" during Record Store Day on April 21, 2012.[7]
On May 12, 2012, the entire album was premiered on Nelson's channel Willie's Roadhouse on
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Consequence of Sound | [11] |
The Daily Telegraph | [12] |
Entertainment Weekly | B[13] |
The Independent | [14] |
MSN Music (Expert Witness) | B+[15] |
musicOMH | [16] |
Rolling Stone | [17] |
Slant Magazine | [18] |
Toronto Sun | [19] |
Rolling Stone rated the album with three stars out of five. Jody Rosen gave a positive review of the covers and the original songs, and said the track, "That’s All There Is to This Song", " ... makes you long for more Willie, less Willie and Friends".[17] The Daily Telegraph praised the album, rating it with four stars out of five. The review was centered around Nelson's musical legacy and the collaboration of Lukas Nelson. The Telegraph's reviewer Neil McCormic wrote, "(Heroes) has the kind of last-will-and-testament quality".[12] Nick Cristiano, writing in the Star Tribune, said that the participation of Lukas Nelson "lends the album an element of torch-passing, except Willie doesn't sound ready to fade away".[21] Dave DiMartino of Yahoo! Music wrote a favorable review of the album, and said, "[Heroes is] one further indication that [Nelson] has an extraordinary talent that appeals to generations and people more diverse than any other artist out there".[22]
Darry Sterdan of the Toronto Sun wrote a favorable review, and said about the selection of artists who collaborated on the album, "It sounds like a bummer, but thanks to Willie’s gentle charm and downhome wit, it’s mostly a hoot".[19] Michael McCall of the Associated Press gave a negative review, saying that, "other than a remarkable take on Coldplay's "The Scientist," there's little that separates this album from Nelson's avalanche of releases". McCall said the cover songs were "all-over-the-map", that Snoop Dogg "croons tunelessly on 'Roll Me Up'", and that "[Lukas Nelson's] voice has Willie's reedy tone, but little of its musicality or range, making this collection less heroic than it could have been".[23]
The New York Post praised the album and Nelson's inclusion of steel guitars in a context of classic country.[24] Entertainment Weekly rated the release with a B, saying, "the music on Heroes is less diverse than Nelson's tastes suggest — it's all country lite — but there's a real warmth in his work with his kids".[13] The Independent praised the inclusion of guests. The reviewer wrote, "the best thing here is opener 'A Horse Called Music', where wistful accordion and lachrymose pedal steel accompany Willie's duet with Merle Haggard, another Mount Rushmore voice". The reviewer also wrote, "Less welcome, though, is the way that vast tranches of the album serve as a showcase for Willie's son Lukas".[14] Jeff Terich of American Songwriter said that the album "follows a similar pattern to most of his recent releases, offering up a populist mix of original compositions, covers of cowboy classics and contemporary songs in equal measure". Terich disdained the cover versions but praised Lukas Nelson's songwriting, stating that the songs "Every Time He Drinks He Thinks of Her" and "No Place to Fly" "[showcase] a winning earnestness, and an affecting second voice whose gentle warble could only come from the same bloodline".[25]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "A Horse Called Music" (featuring Micah Nelson | 3:24 | |
14. | "The Scientist" | Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, Chris Martin | 5:05 |
Total length: | 58:37 |
Credits
Musicians
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Production
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Chart performance
The album debuted at number four on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, and number 18 on the Billboard 200.[26] It sold 17,000 copies in the US in its debut week.[27] In the UK, it debuted at No. 73 with 1,669 sold for the week.[28]
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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References
- ^ a b c "Heroes, The New Willie Nelson Album, Coming Tuesday, May 15". Quincy Herald-Whig. PR Newswire. March 15, 2012. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
- ^ Ball, James (March 15, 2012). "Willie Nelson talks Patsy Cline, Snoop Dogg ahead of Reno shows". Reno Gazette-Journal. Ganette Company. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
- ^ Morris, Edward (June 6, 2012). "Willie Nelson Discusses New Album, Old Friends and Thoughts on a Long Career". Country Music Television. Viacom. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
- ^ a b Flippo, Chet (April 12, 2012). "Nashville Skyline: Willie Nelson: Older Than Time, Younger Than Yesterday". Country Music Television, Inc. Viacom Inc. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
- ^ Bell, Crystal (April 20, 2012). "420 Music: Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg Release 'Roll Me Up' And More Songs To Get High To". The Huffington Post. AOL, Inc. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
- ^ Tomlinson, Chris (April 21, 2012). "Willie Nelson unveils statue of himself on 4/20". Detroit Free Press. Associated Press. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
- ^ "Legacy Recordings Rolls Out All-star Line-up of Historic Collectibles for Record Store Day 2012". marketwatch.com. PR Newswire. April 2, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- ^ "Willie's Roadhouse channel to broadcast live in-studio performance by Willie Nelson and his son Lukas Nelson". UBM plc. PR Newswire. May 8, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
- ^ a b "Heroes". MetaCritic. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Heroes - Willie Nelson". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
- ^ Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
- ^ a b McCormic, Neil (May 11, 2012). "Willie Nelson, Heroes, review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
- ^ a b Maerz, Melissa (May 9, 2012). "Heroes (2012)". Entertainment Weekly. No. 1207 (May 18, 2012) [printed version]. Entertainment Weekly Inc. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
- ^ a b Gill, Andy (May 12, 2012). "Album: Willie Nelson, Heroes (Sony Legacy)". The Independent. London: Independent Print Limited. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (January 1, 2013). "Carl Perkins/Willie Nelson". MSN Music. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
- ^ Middlemass, Lily (May 14, 2012). "Willie Nelson - Heroes". musicOMH. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
- ^ a b Rosen, Jody (May 15, 2012). "Heroes - Album Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
- ^ Keefe, Jonathan (May 20, 2012). "Willie Nelson: Heroes". Slant Magazine. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
- ^ a b Sterdan, Darryl (May 14, 2012). "Mayer, Nelson top CD reviews". Retrieved May 15, 2012.
- ^ Margasak, Peter (April 11, 2012). "The Unstoppable Willie Nelson". The Chicago Reader. CL Chicago, Inc. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
- ^ Cristiano, Nick (May 12, 2012). "CD reviews 5/13: Damon Albarn and Willie Nelson". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
- ^ DiMartino, Dave (May 15, 2012). "Adam Lambert Actually Quite Good Shock!". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo! Canada Co. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
- ^ McCall, Michael (May 22, 2012). "Music reviews: Adam Lambert, Willie Nelson, Rita Wilson". North Jersey Media Group. Associated Press. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
- ^ Huhn, Mary; Guzman, Isaac (May 15, 2012). "Smokin' Willie on a Country Roll". New York Post. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
- ^ Terich, Jeff (May 11, 2012). "Willie Nelson: Heroes". American Songwriter. American Songwriter, LLC. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
- ^ "Heroes, The New Willie Nelson Album, Spends Five Weeks At #1 On Americana Radio Chart". PR Newswire (Press release). Retrieved August 6, 2012.
- ^ Matt Bjorke (May 23, 2012). "Chart News for May 23, 2012: Willie Nelson Returns". Roughstock. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014.
- ^ "Country Bites News snippets June 16 - June 22, 2014". Country Routes News Blog. July 1, 2014.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Willie Nelson – Heroes" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Willie Nelson – Heroes". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Willie Nelson – Heroes" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Willie Nelson – Heroes". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Willie Nelson – Heroes". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Willie Nelson – Heroes". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ "Willie Nelson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- ^ "Willie Nelson Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved May 19, 2021.