Maps of Music

Dream Chaser (2026)

Where the lyrics of Dream Chaser take you, and where it was really made.

Willie Nelson released his 79th solo studio album a month after his 93rd birthday, and it includes a song he co-wrote with Bob Dylan, the first co-write between the two since 1993.

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Album story

Overview

• Dream Chaser: 79th solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Willie Nelson
• Released May 29, 2026, through Legacy Recordings
• Released a month after Nelson's 93rd birthday
• Nelson announced the album on March 18, 2026, together with its first single, the title track

Background

• Announced March 18, 2026, alongside the release of the title track as the first single
• Eddie Fu of Consequence described the title track as Nelson reflecting on the rapid passage of time
• Dream Chaser features the first co-write between Nelson and Bob Dylan since Across the Borderline in 1993
• Nelson, Dylan and producer Buddy Cannon co-wrote the song "I Can't Read Your Mind"

Recording

• Credits are adapted from Tidal
• Buddy Cannon credited with production
• Tony Castle credited with engineering and mixing
• Grant Wilson and Michelle Freetly credited with engineering assistance
• Andrew Mendelson credited with mastering, assisted by Adam Battershell, Andrew Darby, Luke Armentrout and Thomas Oakes
• Willie Nelson on lead vocals and guitar
• Michael Rojas on Hammond organ, piano, vibraphone and Wurlitzer piano
• Fred Eltringham on drums and percussion
• Bobby Terry on acoustic guitar, James Mitchell on electric guitar
• Mickey Raphael on harmonica, Tommy White on steel guitar
• Ben Isaacs on upright bass

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Willie Hugh Nelson on April 29, 1933, in Abbott, Texas.
• Wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band, Bohemian Polka, as a guitarist at age nine.
• Attended Baylor University for two years before dropping out to pursue music.
• Moved to Nashville in 1960 and joined Ray Price's band as a bassist.

Career

• Songs such as "Crazy" (Patsy Cline), "Funny How Time Slips Away" and "Pretty Paper" became hits for other artists.
• Debut album ...And Then I Wrote was released in 1962; joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1965.
• Helped lead the outlaw country movement after moving to Austin, Texas in 1972.
• Red Headed Stranger (1975) was a critically acclaimed concept album; the single "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" became his first number one hit.
• Co-founded Farm Aid in 1985 with Neil Young and John Mellencamp.
• Acted in over 30 films, including The Electric Horseman (1979).
• Received a Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance for "Ride Me Back Home" (2019).
• Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993 and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The Arts Desk critic Tim Cumming described Dream Chaser as flawless and hugely enjoyable
• Cumming focused on the quality of Nelson's songwriting, which he found as astute, funny and affecting as ever
• Hot Press critic Ed Power found the album employs Nelson's familiar palette
• Power described it as a gripping, bittersweet survey of life, aging, and whatever comes next
• Consequence's Eddie Fu described the title track as Nelson reflecting on the rapid passage of time
• Both critics read the album through Nelson's long-established songwriting and emotional tone

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Dream Chaser is Nelson's 79th solo studio album
• It features the first co-write between Nelson and Bob Dylan since Across the Borderline in 1993
• The album was released a month after Nelson's 93rd birthday
• Nelson announced the album on March 18, 2026, with its title track as the first single
• Eddie Fu of Consequence described the title track as Nelson reflecting on the rapid passage of time

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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