Artist:     Willie Nile

Album:     Children of Paradise

Label:     River House Records

Release Date:     7.27.2018

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Leave it to a veteran songwriter like Willie Nile to take a stand on what our country is becoming. I’ve been waiting for an album like this since November 2016, but most artists have played it safe by staying out of the culture wars. With a passion missing from most contemporary music, Willie Nile’s Children of Paradise confronts the sad state of our current union and reminds us of the gentle souls left behind in a society that celebrates greed over compassion.

Nile’s career mirrors the record company blues of contemporaries like Bruce Springsteen without, unfortunately, the commercial success that ultimately prevailed for others. After a lukewarm followup to his widely hailed 1980 debut album, Willie went a decade without recording or touring. He returned in 1991, then went quiet again. The past dozen or so years, however, have been one of his most creatively fertile periods, with a string of stellar albums and steady touring in the U.S. and Europe.

Following last year’s Positively Bob collection of Dylan covers, Nile has returned to what he does best: writing original songs. “Children of Paradise” is actually a reworking of a track from 1991’s Places I Have Never Been. “It’s always been one of my favorite songs, and I started playing it again with my band in the past year,” Nile says. “There’s a theme of redemption and salvation that always appealed to me.”

Indeed, Willie’s empathy for the innocent ones is the subject of many of his best songs and the title of his outstanding 2011 album. Among the dozen tracks on the new album, he confronts hatred and bigotry most directly in “Gettin’ Ugly Out There.” “Seeds of a Revolution” is a call for tolerance as anti-immigration rhetoric grows louder around the world, while “Earth Blues” is a warning that our planet is under siege with a so-called Environmental Protection Agency in the hands of loathsome characters focused on profits rather than the protection of our land, water and air.

There are also several straight-ahead rockers, most notably “I Defy” — an energetic burst reminiscent of Willie’s Punk Rock roots. Bittersweet ballads like “Have I Ever Told You” and “Lookin’ for Someone” are examples of his songwriting range, with the gospel-like “All God’s Children” the perfect closer.

Complementing the music are the outstanding black and white photos of Willie’s long-time photographer, Cristina Arrigoni. The faces of people from Willie’s Greenwich Village neighborhood, some of whom are homeless, serve as a further reminder of the humanity in us all. They’re also a reminder of the power of album art lost in an age of digital downloads.

Willie Nile has remained under Rock’s radar for most of his career. That doesn’t seem to bother him or his loyal fans, but reaching a wider audience at this point would be especially satisfying. If you’re already a Willie Nile fan, you will enjoy Children of Paradise. If you’re listening to him for the first time, you might enjoy it even more.

—Lou Montesano