Island in the Sea

Island in the Sea is a studio album by the American musician Willie Nelson, released in 1987.^[1][2] The album contains two singles: the title track and "Nobody There but Me", which respectively reached No. 27 and No. 82 on the Hot Country Songs charts.^[3] "The Last Thing on My Mind" is a cover of the Tom Paxton song.^[4]

Island in the Sea
Studio album by Willie Nelson
Released	1987
Genre	Country
Label	Columbia
Producer	Willie Nelson Grady Martin Booker T. Jones
Willie Nelson chronology
Partners (1986) Island in the Sea (1987) Seashores of Old Mexico (1987)

The book Willie Nelson: The Outlaw calls the album "a laid-back slice of old-time textures, including Hawaiian music, yodeling, folk, and country, with four [sic] overproduced tracks by Booker T. Jones tacked on at the end."^[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
The Philadelphia Inquirer	[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[7]

The Philadelphia Inquirer praised Nelson's original compositions.^[6] The Vancouver Sun deemed the album "a trifle better than standard Willie."^[8] The Orange County Register noted that the album's first side "features the spine-tingling beauty of the unadorned Nelson sound."^[9] USA Today considered the title track to be the album's best song.^[10]

Track listing

1. "Island in the Sea" (W. Nelson) - 2:19
2. "Wake Me When It's Over" (W. Nelson) - 3:17
3. "Little Things" (W. Nelson, Shirley Collie Nelson) - 4:23
4. "The Last Thing on My Mind" (Tom Paxton) - 5:17
5. "There Is No Easy Way (But There Is a Way)" (W. Nelson) - 2:32
6. "Nobody There but Me" (Bruce Hornsby, John Hornsby, Charlie Haden) - 2:47
7. "Cold November Wind" (Phyllis Horne) - 4:18
8. "Women Who Love Too Much" (Booker T. Jones, Waylon Jennings) - 4:45
9. "All in the Name of Love" (Jones, Jennings) - 4:59
10. "Sky Train" (Jones, Jennings) - 2:39

Personnel

Compiled from Island in the Sea liner notes.^[11]

Musicians

• Willie Nelson - guitar, vocals
• Paul English - drums
• Mickey Raphael - harmonica
• Bee Spears - bass guitar
• Bobbie Nelson - piano
• Grady Martin - guitar
• Jody Payne - guitar, vocals
• Billy English - percussion
• Chip Young - acoustic guitar
• Mike Leech - bass guitar
• David Briggs - keyboards
• Pete Wade - electric guitar
• Martin Parker - drums
• Bobby Ogdin - piano
• Farrell Morris - percussion, vibes
• Booker T. Jones - drums, keyboards, acoustic guitar, bass guitar

On "Nobody There but Me"

• Bruce Hornsby - piano, synthesizer
• Peter Harris - guitar
• George Marinelli, Jr. - guitar
• John Mollo - drums
• Joe Puerta - bass guitar

Technical

• Bobby Arnold - engineering
• Larry Greenhill - engineering
• Booker T. Jones - production (tracks 8–10), engineering
• Grady Martin - production (track 7)
• Willie Nelson - production (tracks 1–6)
• Denny Purcell - mastering
• Glenn Rieuf - engineering
• Chip Young - engineering

Chart performance

Chart (1987)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums	14

References

1. Tucker, Ken (18 June 1987). "Summer Music". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D1.
2. Boehm, Mike (August 3, 1987). "Willie delivers it all in strong crowd-pleaser". The Providence Journal. p. A13.
3. Whitburn, Joel (2012). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2012. Record Research, Inc. p. 238. ISBN 978-0-89820-203-8.
4. Davis, Rick (September 11, 1987). "Music". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. C2.
5. Thomson, Graeme (31 July 2012). Willie Nelson: The Outlaw. Random House. ISBN 9781448133413.
6. Tucker, Ken (5 July 1987). "Willie Nelson Island in the Sea". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. I5.
7. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 499.
8. Mackie, John (18 July 1987). "Willie Nelson: Island in the Sea". Vancouver Sun. p. D8.
9. Davis, Noel (September 4, 1987). "Willie Nelson Island in the Sea". Orange County Register. p. P40.
10. Oermann, Robert K. (December 11, 1987). "It's Star Time". USA Today.
11. Island in the Sea (CD insert). Willie Nelson. Columbia Records. 1987. 40487.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)