A fine mid-70s set of originals and covers

Merle Haggard’s stardom as a live performer and country hit maker often obscures how many great albums he’s recorded. This 1977 release measures up to the excellence of his best work for Capitol, mixing biting originals and brilliantly selected covers from the catalogs of Hank Williams, the Delmore Brothers and others. Haggard’s musical range plays well here as he stretches out jazzily on “Blues Stay Away From Me” and adds the old-timey lilt of muted horns and clarinet to “Blues for Dixie.” He ponders mortality with “When My Last Song is Sung,” gives a gently woebegone performance as the distant parent of “Got a Letter From My Kid Today” and sings a moving tribute, “Goodbye Lefty,” constructed from Frizzell’s lyrics.

The title track is a working man’s lament that remains current with the lyric “I pay my income tax, and the government gives back what I got coming, lord, but it ain’t much.” It’s unfortunate that the album doesn’t follow through on the theme. This edition of the strangers appears to include Glen D. Hardin on piano and Norm Hamlet on steel guitar, and though the playing is generally understated, it’s also sharp as a tack. At 24 minutes, it’s a shame this wasn’t doubled-up on CD with 1976’s The Roots of My Raising or 1978’s The Way It Was in ’51, but as a bargain-priced digital download (one of a baker’s dozen released in mid-2010 by Capitol Nashville), this should be welcomed with open arms by all of Haggard’s fans. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]