The highwayman: Willie Nelson
① He was already an old soul in 1956 when he recorded his first single, "No Place For Me", in a voice somehow both nasal and sweet, like whiskey with honey.
② At 84 he has just released "Last Man Standing", and that instrument hardly changed. But it has a new lyrical tone.
③ The outlaw feel of classics like "Whiskey River" is replaced with mourning lost friends such as Merle Haggard, who died in 2016, as Mr Nelson ponders how long he has left: "I don't wanna be the last man standing...or maybe I do."
④ The album's music is, nevertheless, upbeat, and Mr Nelson is indomitable.
⑤ On May 16th he will—inevitably—be on the road again, touring for the rest of the year.
⑥ His masterful and much-overlooked guitar work is a special highlight of seeing him live.
⑦ He really is the last man standing from a great era in American music.
⑧ Catch him while you can.
▍生词好句
news report /rɪˈpɔːt/: 新闻报导
feature /ˈfiːtʃə/: n. 特稿；特写
highwayman /ˈhʌɪweɪmən/: n.（骑马持枪的）强盗（文中偏向指“正义的侠客形象”）
old soul /səʊl/: 老灵魂（在智识上/对于生活的理解和洞察上有着超过自己年龄深度的人）
single /ˈsɪŋɡ(ə)l/: n. 单曲 adj. 单一/个的
hit single(s): 热门单曲
somehow /ˈsʌmhaʊ/: adv. 莫名其妙地；不知怎么地
nasal /ˈneɪz(ə)l/: adj. 带鼻音的
whiskey /ˈwɪski/: n. 威士忌
honey /ˈhʌni/: n. 蜂蜜
release /rɪˈliːs/: vt. 发布；释放
release album/information/potential/stress/prisoner: 发布专辑/发布信息/释放潜能/释放压力/释放犯人
instrument /ˈɪnstrʊm(ə)nt/: n. 乐器（文中指“嗓音”）
lyric /ˈlɪrɪk/: n. 歌词；抒情诗
lyrical /ˈlɪrɪk(ə)l/: adj. 抒情的；深情的
tone /təʊn/: n. 感情基调；腔调
outlaw /ˈaʊtlɔː/: n. 离经叛道者；亡命之徒
mourn /mɔːn/: vt. 哀悼；为……感到悲伤
lost /lɒst/: adj. 离世的；丢失的
ponder /ˈpɒndə/: vt. 沉思；掂量
nevertheless /nɛvəðəˈlɛs/: adv. 尽管如此；不过
upbeat /ˈʌpbiːt/: adj. 乐观向上的；积极的；正能量的（optimistic）
indomitable /ɪnˈdɒmɪtəb(ə)l/: adj. 不可战胜的；毫不气馁的（unconquerable）
inevitably /ɪˈnɛvɪtəbli, ɪnˈɛvɪtəbli/: adv. 不可避免地；必然要发生地
tour /tʊə/: v. 巡回演出
masterful /ˈmɑːstəfʊl/: adj. 大师级别的；技艺娴熟的
much-overlooked: adj. 被大大忽略的；颇受忽视的
highlight /ˈhʌɪlʌɪt/: n. 最重要/精彩的部分；亮点 vt. 重点突出
live /lʌɪv/: adj./adv. 现场演出/直播的（地）
wrap up /rap/: 总结
▍补充
1. Robin Hood 罗宾汉
英国民间传说中的侠盗。武艺出众、机智勇敢，仇视官吏和教士，是一位劫富济贫、行侠仗义的绿林英雄。
2. Outlaw Movement 叛道运动
上世纪六七十年代，以 Willie Nelson 为代表的乡村音乐歌手发起的一场运动。所谓的“叛道”，是在强调保持乡村音乐的传统曲风，反对当时乡村音乐越来越商业化的现象。
outlaw country 叛道乡村音乐
3. No Place For Me 歌词节选
Your love is as cold as a north wind blowing
And the river that runs to the sea
How can I go on when your only love is gone
I can see this is no place for me
4. 通感；移觉（synaesthesia /ˌsɪnɪsˈθiːzɪə/）
warm colors 暖色调
noisy/loud colors 艳丽的颜色
5. Beat Generation 垮掉的一代
垮掉的一代，或称疲惫的一代，是二次世界大战后美国的一群作家开启的文学运动，意在探索和影响二战后的美国文化和政治。他们在1950年代发表大量作品并广为人传。其核心理念包含拒绝时下流行话语的价值观，进行精神探索，探索美国和东方宗教，反对物质主义，对人类现状详尽描述，试验致幻药物，性解放及性探索。
6. highlight
The highlight of our trip to London is being able to meet Tom Hiddleston in person.
His talk highlighted the company's key task for the following six months.