Working in Tennessee

Working in Tennessee
Studio album by Merle Haggard
Released October 4, 2011
Genre Country
Length 35:06
Label Vanguard
Producer Lou Bradley, Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard chronology
I Am What I Am
(2010)I Am What I Am2010		 Working in Tennessee
(2011)		 Django & Jimmie
(2015)Django & Jimmie2015

Working in Tennessee is the sixty-third and final studio album by American country music artist Merle Haggard. It was released on October 4, 2011 by Vanguard Records. This is also the second Merle Haggard album released by Vanguard.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [1]
Robert ChristgauA- [2]
Spin[3]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic praised the album, writing "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."[1] In his review, music critic Robert Christgau only wrote "Now 74 and short half a lung, he's not making the best music of his life, just the best albums... Man's learned how to live, and he has no intention of stopping."[2] Spin writes of the style, "His greatest skill remains how convincingly he stands in, and stands up, for regular guys, even when he's coasting... Working in Tennessee glides along on its Bakersfield groove with the greatest of ease, despite the album's title."[3]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Working in Tennessee"Merle Haggard2:22
2."Down on the Houseboat"M. Haggard, Theresa Haggard, Doug Colosio2:52
3."Cocaine Blues"T. J. Arnall3:18
4."What I Hate"M. Haggard3:51
5."Sometimes I Dream"M. Haggard, Jenessa Haggard2:44
6."Under the Bridge"M. Haggard, T. Haggard3:01
7."Too Much Boogie Woogie"M. Haggard2:52
8."Truck Driver's Blues"M. Haggard, Tim Howard2:55
9."Laugh It Off"M. Haggard, T. Haggard, Colosio3:52
10."Working Man Blues" (with Willie Nelson and Ben Haggard)M. Haggard4:09
11."Jackson" (with Theresa Haggard)Billy Edd Wheeler, Jerry Leiber3:10

Personnel

  • Merle Haggard – vocals, guitar
  • Willie Nelson – vocals, guitar
  • Ben Haggard – vocals, guitar
  • Biff Adam – drums
  • Gene Chrisman – drums
  • George Receli – drums, percussion
  • Doug Colosio – keyboards, piano
  • Theresa Haggard – background vocals
  • David Hood – bass
  • Kevin Williams – bass
  • Tim Howard – drums, guitar
  • Rob Ickes – dobro, pedal steel guitar, slide guitar
  • Jeff Ingraham – drums
  • Scott Joss – banjo, fiddle, guitar, background vocals
  • Red Lane – guitar
  • Reggie Young – guitar
  • Joe Manuel – dobro
  • Don Markham – saxophone
  • Bobby Wood – piano

Chart performance

Chart (2011) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums 30
U.S. Billboard 200 155
U.S. Billboard Independent Albums 25

References

  1. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Working in Tennessee > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Christgau, Robert. "Working in Tennessee > Review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Menconi, David. "Working in Tennessee > Review". Spin. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
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