WILLIE NILE : THE GREAT YELLOW LIGHT

WILLIE NILE : THE GREAT YELLOW LIGHT

Wild Wild World
We Are, We Are
Electrify Me
An Irish Goodbye
The Great Yellow Light
Tryin' To Make A Livin' In The U.S.A.
Fall On Me
What Color Is Love
Wake Up America
Washington's Day

Label : River House Records

Release Date : June 20, 2025

Length : 40:47

Review (Americana UK) : Willie Nile and his music require little introduction to Americana music aficionados, with a 20-album catalogue, including live albums, that spans over 45 years. During this time, he has received numerous plaudits, with The New York Times proclaiming him “One of the most gifted songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in years”, while such luminaries as Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townsend, Bono, Little Steven, Ian Hunter, and Lucinda Williams are among many who constantly sing his praises. Now, having just celebrated his 77th birthday, Nile returns with his brand new album, “The Great Yellow Light”. Like Nile’s last six albums, “The Great Yellow Light” was recorded at Hobo Sound in Weehawken, New Jersey, and co-produced with longtime collaborator Stewart Lerman, while his core band, featuring Jimi Bones on electric and acoustic guitar, backing vocals, Johnny Pisano on bass and backing vocals, and Jon Weber on drums is all on hand. Steve Earle cements his working relationship with Nile, having also appeared on the 2021 release, “The Day The Earth Stood Still”, along with special guests such as the iconic Irish folk singer Paul Brady, along with Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian from The Hooters, and legendary sidemen Waddy Wachtel and David Mansfield. Album opener ‘Wild Wild World’ sets the tone for much of the album, the band immediately moving through the gears, with Nile’s full-throttle vocal delivery defying the years, bursting at the seams with both passion and compassion. The following two numbers, ‘We Are, We Are’ and ‘Electrify Me’, maintain the breathless pace and in-your-face attitude, the former replete with an anthemic chorus, while the latter’s raucous punk howl supersedes anything the genre produced during its heady days of the late ’70s and early ’80s. ‘An Irish Goodbye’ offers a slight change of pace, with pipes and accordions taking centre stage, Nile sharing lead vocals with Brady on a song that embraces a similar ramshackle energy to that of The Pogues before the album’s title track delivers one of Nile’s finest songs of his illustrious career. Initially inspired by letters Vincent Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo and the light that inspired him in Arles, France, the song refers to those rare, magical moments of awe and wonder that make life worth living. Here, the band swaps their energetic rock ‘n’ roll swagger for a subtler but no less intense and emotive arrangement, while Nile’s vocal delivery never sounded better or more passionate. On an album stuffed full of fiery guitar-driven, melodic songs, mixing anthemic rockers with sensitive ballads, there’s still time for a little humour as found within the lyrics of ‘Tryin’ To Make A Livin’ In The USA’, while ‘What Color Is Love’ with its piano intro and thought-provoking musings within the narrative ignites a mood of self-reflection. Another of the album’s many highlights is ‘Wake Up America’, a clarion call to his fellow countrymen and women; the frustration in Nile’s vocal delivery almost tangible as he asks, no demands, “You used to be great, what happened to you?” confronting an America riddled with pain, injustice and division and pleads with them to listen to the angels. The presence of Earle on vocals, with all his street-wise, ragged-soaked glory, helps add a level of gravitas that punches the message home before closing number ‘Washington’s Day’ offers a prayer for hope, compassion, liberty, and most of all a better world for all mankind. Rarely in our lifetime has humanity felt more bereft or in need of such a prayer and such a song, and it is of little surprise that it arrives within the sagacious poetry of Willie Nile. With “The Great Yellow Light”, Nile has delivered an album for the times that can proudly stand alongside the best of his great canon of work and provides ample proof that even at 77 years of age and over 45 years as a recording artist, he is still very much at the top of his game.

Review (Americana Highways) : This is veteran New York artist Willie Nile’s 21st album, with its title referenced to “Vincent Van Gogh’s letters to his brother, Theo & the light that inspired him in Arles, France, where he lived (1888-1889).” The 10 tunes in The Great Yellow Light were recorded at Hobo Sound in Weehawken, NJ & produced by Willie (vocals/electric guitar/piano) & Grammy winner Stewart Lerman. Guest musicians include the voices of Steve Earle, Paul Brady & Black 47’s Larry Kirwan (bgv) with some cuts featuring The Hooters’ Rob Hyman (Farfisa/Hammond B-3/accordion/piano/bgv) & Eric Bazilian (mandola/electric 6 & 12 string guitars/bgv). Willie Nile The Buffalo, NY native with a distinctive voice, Nile, had albums in his early career with songs like “Old Men Sleeping On the Bowery” that were raw New York City scene rock n’ roll. The parts Patti Smith didn’t get to. He could be as intense & precise as Lou Reed, but he had a dash of Dion DiMucci finesse & cool. Through the years, Nile developed more into a melodic artist ala the late Willy DeVille & both never compromised their intensity, or drama. Willie Nile continues to apply an attractive stitch between lyrics & melodies. He was never a sugar-coated mainstream, commercial artist. Where Tom Waits goes gutter deep, & dark with an L.A. atmosphere, Willie follows a more metropolitan coterie. The ever-energetic Nile has always been an overloaded circuit that genuinely delivers the heat consistently. The material never sounds dated & Nile doesn’t sound like a shell-shocked genre survivor. The music (“Wild Wild World,” “We Are, We Are”) has a youthful gutsiness delivered with sumptuous edginess & vibrancy. The band’s tight as shrink-wrap around a pallet. Willie displays his R&R teeth brightly but also isn’t shy about grinding his punkier side into the brick wall Ramones-like on “Electrify Me.” One of Nile’s best is the rousing title track “The Great Yellow Light.” Quite impressive. This puts Nile in that respectable space occupied by Bruce Springsteen & Billy Falcon (“Heaven’s Highest Hill”). When I was young, I played Willie Nile beside England’s Graham Parker. I thought they mined different veins but dug for the same motherlode. They both maintained viable careers; however, Willie’s became more accessible with his punchy repertoire & songs like The Hooters’ “Washington’s Day.” A vibrant, optimistic, respectable performance. Highlights – “Wild Wild World,” “We Are, We Are,” “Electrify Me,” “An Irish Goodbye,” “The Great Yellow Light,” “Wake Up America,” & “Washington’s Day.” Musicians – Jimi Bones (electric & acoustic guitars/bgv), Johnny Pisano (bass/bgv), Jon Weber (drums), James Maddock (bgv), Andy Burton (keys/piano/Hammond M-3), Waddy Wachtel (electric guitar), Fred Parcells (tin whistle/trombone), Chris Byrne (uilleann pipes/bodhran), David Mansfield (mandolin) & James Frazee (percussion).

Review (Michael Doherty's Music Log) : I was thrilled that Willie Nile scheduled a concert on my birthday this year. What better way is there to celebrate? It was one hell of a great show, which I suppose will come as no surprise to anyone who has ever seen him in concert. At that show, Willie Nile played some new material, and those songs were among the best of the night. Now those songs are among those included on Willie Nile's fantastic new album, The Great Yellow Light. The album features all original material, written or co-written by Willie Nile. Willie plays both electric guitar and piano on this release. Joining him are Jimi Bones on electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and backing vocals; Johnny Pisano on bass and backing vocals; Jon Weber on drums; Rob Hyman (of The Hooters) on organ, accordion, piano and backing vocals; and James Frazee on percussion. Paul Brady, Steve Earle and James Maddock join him on vocals on certain tracks, and there are other guests on various tracks throughout the album. A cool surf guitar intro leads into the energetic opening number, "Wild Wild World." It does feel like we are dancing toward oblivion these days, doesn't it? And this song has that exact vibe; it is a whole lot of fun, feeling like a party, while the lyrics are about some of the crazy stuff happening, natural and otherwise. It certainly is a wild, wild world. And so what do we do? My selfish inclination is to enjoy myself as much as possible. We get only one shot at this thing. So who the hell wants to spend what little time he or she has all stressed out and miserable? This music encourages us to dance, to throw ourselves about in delightful abandon, and that is just what I aim to do. "Laughter in the Kremlin, chuckles in Versailles/Big guffaws in Washington, and I think I know why/'Cause it's a wild, wild, wild, wild world." It's a great, positive celebration to kick off the album. Then "We Are, We Are" has a harder rock vibe from the beginning, a sort of rock anthem. "We're young and strong, we are we are/We're righting wrongs, we are we are/We're heading for the stars." Yes, so positive here too, and we need that. Don't be surprised if you find yourself singing along with this track. And though Willie Nile is about to be 77, he is not fooling you with that "We're young and strong" line. His energy is tremendous. If you get the chance, I highly recommend seeing him in concert. You'll get a sense of what his live shows are about when listening to this track. "Electrify Me" is another energetic rock number. I've heard people say things like fifty is the new forty, that sort of idea, but when Willie Nile is the subject, seventy-six is the new twenty-one. This song seriously rocks. We need this music. Our bodies, our souls are eager for it, for its taste, for its spirit. "You look like water but you taste like wine/Your touch sends shivers up and down my spine/Electrify me." That's followed by "An Irish Goodbye," one of the songs he played at that show on my birthday. That night he talked a bit about what people mean by an Irish goodbye. Basically, it's when you leave a party, or any sort of gathering I suppose, without any kind of formal farewell, just slipping out without a word. And the song is about that final goodbye. Most of us slip out without proclaiming our exits, without any special final words. This track has something of a different sound from the previous tracks. That is in part due to the presence of Chris Byrne (of Black 47) on uilleann pipes and bodhran, Fred Parcells (of Black 47) on tin whistle and trombone, and David Mansfield (who has played with Bob Dylan and Bruce Hornsby) on mandolin. Yeah, there is a wonderful Celtic vibe to this track. At the concert, Willie had the audience singing along to this song: "An Irish goodbye, an Irish goodbye/Here's fire in your whiskey, here's mud in your eye/It's high time to leave here, the angels know why/I'll just say an Irish goodbye." Paul Brady joins Willie on vocals on this track, and Larry Kirwan (of Black 47) is on backing vocals. This is a wonderful and uplifting song about death, featuring some delicious percussion. The album's title track, "The Great Yellow Light," is another highlight. I love the way it builds at the beginning as he describes that magical moment. And what a fantastic vocal performance. "I was dreaming of a girl/With wonder in her eyes and thunder in her heart." Then it suddenly kicks in. We feel we are experiencing that joy, that wonder, that magic ourselves. Willie Nile is able to tap into our own memories of great joy, to reshape our memories, make them shine brighter, make them even more momentous, more meaningful, more powerful. The music and our pasts combine, along with our own desires for the present. This track returns us to the beginning at the end. Andy Burton is on keys for this one. That's followed by "Tryin' To Make A Livin' In The U.S.A.," another song that he played at that concert on my birthday. It's a playful number about the good a hit record would do for his bank account, and also about the fun of being a musician. We can feel that fun in every beat, every note, particularly in his vocal performance. "The bums I used to know now can sleep in satin sheets/All the people that I owe will be dancin' in the streets/They're gonna put my face on the hundred dollar bill/Open tab at the bar, gonna drink my fill." I love Rob Ryman's work on accordion. And I love the line, "If this is all a dream, don't wake me up." "Fall On Me" has a sweeter vibe, its opening lines being, "If you're gonna fall, fall on me/If you're gonna cry, cry to me/When you think you've seen it all/When your back's against the wall/If you think you're gonna fall, fall on me." This one will likely speak to most of us, with lines like "When all your dreams just won't come true/And you can't take it like you could before." Don't we all feel a bit sad, a bit broken? We all need a special someone who will be there when we crumble, and crumbling feels inevitable these days. But, maybe, just maybe, with music like this, we'll manage to avoid it. This music catches us even before we fall. Isn't it wonderful how music can do that? This song was written by Willie Nile and Frankie Lee. "What Color Is Love" was also written by Willie Nile and Frankie Lee. This is a pretty song with a passionate, moving vocal performance. "So far have I traveled, so much have I seen/How long must I wonder is it all a dream." "Wake up America, red white and blue/You used to be great, what happened to you?" Willie Nile sings in "Wake Up America," addressing the country as a whole. I'm not sure exactly when this nation was great, but we all know it really did try to live up to its ideals until very recently. We all know that something went horribly wrong in 2016 and even worse in 2024, that things were much better before the fascist morons took over. This country has lost nearly all the things that were good about it. Actually, it didn't lose them so much as deliberately jettison them. Is it too late to get them back? Listening to Willie Nile, the answer seems to be no. Hope still lives here. And Steve Earle joins him on vocals for this one. "Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you get it wrong/I know you're not perfect, sometimes you break down," Steve sings. And Waddy Wachtel is on electric guitar for this one. "Wake up America, do you know who I am/I'm one of the millions, do you even give a damn/I'm the son of immigrants, I'm a daughter of slaves." What is sad to me is that the people who need to hear this song will certainly not hear it. Yet the music is still hopeful. We are better than everything that is happening now. I hope that's true. "Wake up America before it's too late." The album concludes with another hopeful song, "Washington's Day," in which Willie sings, "Now when this world and that world collide/And the powers that be hit you low/When you're feelin' so small in the face of it all." Eric Bazilian (of The Hooters) plays mandola on this track, and co-wrote the song with Rob Hyman, Rick Chertoff and Willie Nile. It's a song of compassion and the promise of a better, more humane tomorrow. It is a song that feels like a great embrace, a song that pulls everyone in, a song we need.