Working in Tennessee, Merle Haggard's second album for Vanguard, plays a little slower and softer than 2010’s I Am What I Am, a record where Hag gently dwelled on his mortality.
There are times where his age crosses his mind -- particularly on “Sometimes I Dream,” where he casually lists off things that aren’t likely to pass his way again -- but generally, he’s ready to “Laugh It Off” as he gripes about what’s playing on the radio, smokes a little dope, and enjoys playing a little bit of blues as he looks back to the past, even cutting a couple of old favorites (“Cocaine Blues,” “Jackson”) and a new version of “Working Man Blues.” Hag never rushes things, never turns up the volume, his western swing now bearing a closer resemblance to the gentlemanly amiability of Hank Thompson instead of the wild, woolly Bob Wills.
He’s proceeding at the pace of a 74-year-old legend with nothing to prove, yet he’s not resting on his laurels, he’s just doing what he’s always done: singing songs so expertly his virtuosity almost goes unnoticed.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Working in TennesseeMerle Haggard | Merle Haggard | Play | 02:22 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 2 | Down on the HouseboatDoug Colosio, Merle Haggard, Theresa Haggard | Merle Haggard | Play | 02:52 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 3 | Cocaine BluesT.J. "Red" Arnall | Merle Haggard | Play | 03:19 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 4 | What I HateMerle Haggard | Merle Haggard | Play | 03:53 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 5 | Sometimes I DreamJenessa Haggard, Merle Haggard | Merle Haggard | Play | 02:45 | 6 MB | 14 MB |
| 6 | Under the BridgeMerle Haggard, Theresa Haggard | Merle Haggard | Play | 03:03 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 7 | Too Much Boogie WoogieMerle Haggard | Merle Haggard | Play | 02:52 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 8 | Truck Driver's BluesMerle Haggard, Tim Howard | Merle Haggard | Play | 02:56 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 9 | Laugh It OffDoug Colosio, Merle Haggard, Theresa Haggard | Merle Haggard | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 10 | JacksonJerry Leiber, Billy Edd Wheeler | Merle Haggard | Play | 03:10 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 11 | Workin' Man Blues | Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson | Play | 04:09 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 35 mins | 80 MB | |||||
| 35 mins | 206 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biff Adams | Drums |
| 2 | T.J. "Red" Arnall | Composer |
| 3 | Bill Bentley | A&R |
| 4 | Lou Bradley | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 5 | Gene Chrisman | Drums |
| 6 | Doug Colosio | Composer, Keyboards, Piano |
| 7 | Ben Haggard | Featured Artist, Guitar, Vocals |
| 8 | Jenessa Haggard | Composer |
| 9 | Merle Haggard | Composer, Duet, Guitar, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals |
| 10 | Theresa Haggard | Composer, Duet, Featured Artist, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 11 | David Hood | Bass |
| 12 | Tim Howard | Composer, Drums, Guitar |
| 13 | Rob Ickes | Dobro, Guitar (Steel), Slide Guitar |
| 14 | Jeff Ingraham | Drums |
| 15 | Scott Joss | Banjo, Fiddle, Guitar, Harmony, Vocals (Background) |
| 16 | Red Lane | Guitar |
| 17 | Jerry Leiber | Composer |
| 18 | Joe Manuel | Dobro |
| 19 | Don Markham | Saxophone |
| 20 | Willie Nelson | Featured Artist, Guitar, Vocals |
| 21 | Benny Quinn | Mastering |
| 22 | George Receli | Drums, Percussion |
| 23 | Myriam Santos | Photography |
| 24 | Carrie Smith | Package Design |
| 25 | Billy Edd Wheeler | Composer |
| 26 | Kevin Williams | Bass |
| 27 | Bobby Wood | Piano |
| 28 | Reggie Young | Guitar |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |