Another dose of American Romance… it’s just what I needed.
Today, Lukas Nelson released two additional songs that are part of his Grammy-nominated solo debut album, American Romance, which is easily one of my top records released in 2025.
If you haven’t listened yet, I promise, you are severely missing out…
This project is Lukas’ first release after putting his longtime band, Promise of the Real, on hiatus and embarking on a solo career, and it’s truly a work of art. Because of it, Lukas and his father, Willie, are only the second father and son duo to be nominated in the same category at the Grammy awards for different albums. They’re both nominated for different projects in the new Best Traditional Country Album category for the 2026 Grammys.
It’s incredibly well-deserved, and American Romance was produced by Shooter Jennings, who is truly one of the best producers in the game right now, and he is of course the son of country icon Waylon Jennings. Lukas is the son of Willie Nelson, so it was incredibly cool to see these two team up for such a fantastic project, though it isn’t the first time they’ve worked together.
The two new songs that are out today are called “A Certain Someone” and “The Last Wild River.” The former was written by Lukas along with Anderson East and Foy Vance, and the ladder he wrote while walking along the Yampa River in Colorado:
“This next little gift of songs come from separate fountains of the ‘American Romance’ spring. ‘A Certain Someone’ is a hopeful song that came assisted by Anderson East and Foy Vance, recorded at Andersons studio.
The concept was born as I was walking along the river in Boston, MA. ‘The Last Wild River’ I wrote along the Yampa River in Colorado with a good friend, who explained to me that the Yampa was one of the last rivers in America that wasn’t damned up.
We recorded it at Shooter Jennings’ studio in LA. I’m grateful to have these other songs to complement what was an incredibly inspiring moment musically. I hope you enjoy!”
“A Certain Someone” is a gorgeous ballad that finds Lukas wondering if the person he’s thinking about is thinking of him too, and his vocals and delivery are just net level. It’s beautiful. “The Last Wild River” is more upbeat and groovy, reminiscent of a lot of the music he put out with Promise of the Real, and they’re perfect additions to the American Romance tracklist.
Lukas is putting out some of the best music of his career, and has flourished as a solo artist in the country space. He is one of the best songwriters doing it right now, and has a generational voice with incredible range. His style harkens back to the classic music that made country what it is, honoring the likes of legends like his father, Willie, while being incredibly relevant and fresh in this day and age, leaving him in an incredibly unique spot in the world of music.
With the success of this album and hopefully more new music and a tour coming in 2026, he’s poised for a breakout year next year, and if he doesn’t win the Grammy… well, that would be a real shame in my humble opinion.
Either way, this album is an instant classic for me, and I highly recommend you checking out the new songs below.
“A Certain Someone”
“The Last Wild River”
I have to leave you with my favorite song on the album, of course…
“Montana”
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