''Children of Paradise'' is the twelfth studio album by American singer and songwriter

Willie Nile Willie Nile (born Robert Noonan; June 7, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter. In 1980, Nile released his self-titled debut album. His early career was interrupted by various problems, but he eventually returned to recording and performing i ...

. It was released on 27 July 2018 by River House Records. Nile says of the album, "The music always lifts my spirits, and that's what these songs do for me and it's why I wrote them. Hopefully they can lift others’ spirits as well." "I believe in the basic goodness of most people, and that's where these songs come from."

Background

On 24 February 2018, Nile posted a video on

PledgeMusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...

announcing his upcoming album. Nile said that he had been doing a lot of songwriting and that he was going to make a studio album of all original material. Nile dedicated the album to his longtime friend Andrew Dorff who co-wrote Lookin’ For Someone. Dorff died unexpectedly at age 40 shortly after the song was written.

Critical reviews

Associated Press’ Kiley Armstrong says it is "his best album to date". In a July 2018 review of the album Audiophile says "Willie Nile has a lot to say and clearly some great songs in his back pocket. You just need to listen. If you have even a bit of conscience remaining, you should listen to Willie's albums of the last 10 years or so. You might just get inspired by his 21st century renaissance." Lee Zimmerman writes in '' Paste'' "A new waive of politically charged music from Nile. With its cascading choruses, rousing refrains and cover photos of some of the homeless people that inhabit his neighborhood, Children of Paradise serves as his own call to arms." Rock nyc says "a brilliant collection of punk-folk attitude songs, politically astute and sweet and sour at the same time as he adds the subjective to the objective".

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians *

– acoustic and electric guitars, piano, vocals * Johnny Pisano – bass, backing vocals * Matt Hogan – electric guitar * Jon Weber – drum *

Steuart Smith Steuart Smith (born 24 June 1952) is an American guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, writer and producer from Arlington, Virginia, United States. He is a touring member of the American rock band Eagles, where he has performed as one of ...

– acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, harmonium, Hammond B3, Wurlitzer, glockenspiel * Andy Burton – Hammond B3 * Frankie Lee – tambourine, backing vocals *

James Maddock James Maddock (born 1962) is an English singer-songwriter and performing musician. Originally from Countesthorpe, Leicester, Maddock has been based in New York City since 2003. His first album was ''Tied Weight'' in 1982. (Reach Up Records SRO ...

– backing vocals * Leslie Mendelson – backing vocals Production and additional personnel * Produced by Stewart Lerman and

* Executive Producer: Kevin Collins *

Associate Producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

: Barry LaPorte * Engineered by James Frazee and Stewart Lerman * Mixed by Stewart Lerman * Recorded at Hobo Sound, Weehawken, NJ * Mastering by

Greg Calbi Gregory Calbi (born April 3, 1949) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound, New Jersey. Biography Greg Calbi was born on April 3, 1949, in Yonkers, New York, and raised in Bayside, Queens, New York. He graduated in 1966 from Bishop ...

at Sterling Sound, NYC * Art direction – Deborah Maniaci * Photography – Cristina Arrigoni at CristinaArrigoniphotography.com * Legal – Terri Baker, Esq * Media – Cary Baker – conqueroo.com * Booking – Adam Bauer at Madison-House Agency

Charts

Release history

References

External links

Official Website
* {{Authority control 2018 albums Willie Nile albums Albums produced by Stewart Lerman