Kristofferson's latest cuts "Closer to the Bone"

DETROIT (Billboard) - Kris Kristofferson considers his new album, "Closer to the Bone," a "sequel" of sorts to 2006's acclaimed "This Old Road."

"Emotionally, 'Closer to the Bone' is very much like 'This Old Road,'" Kristofferson told Billboard.com about the 11-song set, which will be released September 29 on New West Records and was produced by Don Was, who also helmed "This Old Road."

"Every album I've made has been about making sense of my life at the time. 'Closer to the Bone' is a reflective album. It's about making sense of life at this end of the game. I used to do records about a year apart with music covering issues of human rights, military aggression or whatever was going on in the world. These last two records have been more reflective about my own life."

Was said the personal nature of the album guided his approach to the arrangements and sound. "On 'This Old Road' we attempted to capture the experience of having Kris Kristofferson sit three feet away from you, look you in the eyes and sing 10 songs," the producer said. "People really seemed to respond positively to that, so we went for the same effect on this new album ... to eliminate everything that creates distance between the listener and Kris."

Many of the songs on "Closer to the Bone" are showcases for Kristofferson and his acoustic guitar, but other players also contribute, among them Was on bass, Wallflowers/Foo Fighters keyboardist Rami Jaffee and drummer Jim Keltner. The album marks some of the final recordings by the late Stephen Bruton, a close friend of Kristofferson's who passed away in May. Bruton played guitar and co-wrote the track "From Here to Forever."

"I can't think of Stephen without heartbreak," said Kristofferson, who dedicated the album to the Texas musician. "We were soul brothers. I'm just grateful that he was able to play on this."

The track "Good Morning John" comes from a letter Kristofferson wrote to Johnny Cash for a sobriety party.

"Everyone was supposed to say something inspirational, so I wrote a song," Kristofferson said. "I tried to record this once before with Willie Nelson and my band. When I sang the chorus, they echoed me when I would sing 'Good morning, John.' When I got to the line that said 'I love you, John,' Willie said, 'He loves you, John' and we all cracked up laughing. We never finished it, so I finished it myself."

Kristofferson wrote "Hall of Angels" for the late Eddie Rabbitt after Rabbitt's son Timmy died following an unsuccessful liver transplant.

Kristofferson has no tour booked yet to promote "Closer to the Bone." He will perform on November 1 at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and on November 10 he'll receive the BMI Icon Award during the BMI Country Awards in Nashville.

(Editing by SheriLinden at Reuters)