Willie Nile has been releasing records since the 1980s and while he has always been a remarkably dependable flag bearer of great American rock music, right up there with Dylan, Springsteen and Petty (though admittedly a little more under the radar), his output lately – song for song – has been among his best. Maybe it’s a new muse or some other reason for the reinvigoration, but from 2018’s Children of Paradise on, Nile has been putting out one record after the next, devoid of any skippable songs. The same holds true for The Great Yellow Light, his latest and 21st LP.
From the opening track, “Wild Wild World,” with his familiar, charmingly raspy vocals, through the great cover of The Hooters’ “Washington’s Day,” the album is Nile at his best. There are some great anthems mixed throughout some of the quieter moments like “Electrify Me,” complete with a shout-along chorus and the just as raucous “We Are, We Are”. On one of those more subdued songs, “An Irish Goodbye,” Nile brings in Irish singer Paul Brady. Steve Earle joins Nile on “Wake Up America,” a remarkably timely song about the deeply divided country we’re living in currently.
The album title is borrowed from a letter Vincent van Gogh wrote to his brother referencing the light in France that served as inspiration. “For me, the album’s title refers to those rare magical moments of awe and wonder that make life worth living,” says Willie. “My band played great on these sessions, no doubt thanks to all the live shows we’ve been doing. The special guests each brought unique magic to the party.”
Rob Hyman, best known for his work with The Hooters, sings backup and plays accordion on “Washington’s Day,” a song he co-wrote with two other bandmates and Nile that first appeared on The Hooters’ 1987 One Way Home record. The song was one of the most powerful moments on that album and is just as emotionally powerful here, nearly four decades later.
Nile has always been a dependable rock workhorse, never phoning it in, be it on stage or in the studio. But his latest streak of albums has found him turning in his best songs in a career made out of great songs.
