Phosphorescent Record An Album of Willie Nelson Covers

Brooklyn-based experimental folkster(s) Phosphorescent (mainly singer-songwriter Matthew Houck) broke through with 2007’s excellent Pride, their second album. Now, the band have announced they’re following that up with To Willie. Not a traditional album, however, To Willie is actually a collection of reinterpreted Willie Nelson songs.

Rather than cover the classics however, the press release reveals that Houck "has selected 11 of his favorite Willie Nelson songs and does much more than just simply cover them. He has not selected the greatest hits, but rather digs deep, offering renditions of hidden Nelson gems and lost classics. The songs collected here seem cracked from Phosphorescent's proprietary mold with Matthew Houck's unmistakable voice leading the way. They feel lived in, they feel weathered and they feel just like Phosphorescent.”

The record is due February 2 from Dead Oceans.

To Willie tracklisting:

1. "Reasons To Quit”
2. "Too Sick To Pray”
3. "Walkin'”
4. "It's Not Supposed To Be That Way”
5. "Pick Up The Tempo”
6. "I Gotta Get Drunk”
7. "Can I Sleep In Your Arms”
8. "Heartaches Of A Fool”
9. "Permanently Lonely”
10. "The Last Thing I Needed (First Thing This Morning)”
11. "The Party's Over”

Phosphorescent "At Death, A Proclamation”