Now two dozen albums deep into one of American rock’s most quietly tenacious careers, Willie Nile has never strayed from the goal of writing great songs. On The Great Yellow Light, his 21st full-length, the veteran New York songwriter finds fresh inspiration in unexpected places; namely, the luminous letters of Vincent Van Gogh.

The album title nods to the Dutch painter’s time in Arles, France, where he wrote rhapsodically to his brother Theo about “the great yellow light” that soaked the landscape. For Nile, it’s a metaphor for vision, passion, and perseverance, qualities that have powered his four-decade career from Greenwich Village clubs to global cult status. Produced alongside Grammy-winner Stewart Lerman (Elvis Costello, Patti Smith, Sharon Van Etten), The Great Yellow Light radiates immediacy and comfort. Recorded at Hobo Sound in Weehawken, New Jersey, it comes alive through melodic, guitar-driven anthems and throughtful ballads, all wrapped in Nile’s own mix of punk energy, poetic prose, and socio-political bite.

There’s fire in the album’s belly, especially on “Wake Up America,” a barbed wire jolt featuring none other than outlaw country hero Steve Earle. Elsewhere, the guest list reads like a who’s-who of underground legends - Irish folk titan Paul Brady, Hooters founders Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian, and Black 47’s Larry Kirwan, Fred Parcells, and Chris Byrne all add texture and soul. Add more cameos from session royalty Waddy Wachtel and David Mansfield, and the album takes on the feel of a backroom summit between rock lifers who’ve been through it all and still believe in the power of song.

Nile’s core trio of Jimi Bones (guitar), Johnny Pisano (bass), and Jon Weber (drums) provide the tight, unshakeable foundation for the singer’s graphic storytelling. On “Like A Butterfly,” Nile leans into melodic transcendence. On “No More War,” he invokes a plea that’s both weary and unyielding. And on the title track, he sings like a man chasing the same glow that lit Van Gogh’s canvas - not a sunset, but a revelation. The Great Yellow Light doesn’t just reaffirm Willie Nile’s status as one of rock’s true believers, it burns with the conviction that the right lyric, sung at the right time, can still change something. Even if just for three-and-a-half minutes. That’s the light he’s chasing. That’s the light he’s found.