Both Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson possess immediately identifiable voices that have aged with great dignity. For his album, Willie Nelson and producer T-Bone Burnett have chosen a fascinating combination of songs that will be familiar to aficionados and others of a more rarified hue. You get stripped-back versions of ‘Dark As A Dungeon’; the traditional songs ‘Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down’ and ‘I Am A Pilgrim’; Al Dexter’s ‘Pistol Packing Mama’ and Hank William’s ‘House Of Gold’ – songs that define the very roots of the genre. Nelson sounds engaged and expressive throughout. The instruments are largely acoustic, with Nelson’s trusty gut-string guitar Trigger well to the fore, and the sound of pedal steel and electric guitar adding an extra dimension. The musicians involved are of the highest calibre and Burnett is a sympathetic producer who sets Nelson’s voice, with its unique phrasing and understanding of the form, against the ideal backdrop.
Haggard, having recovered from recent lung surgery, still sounds vital on this set of largely original songs. He co-produced the album with longtime collaborator Lou Bradley and uses a team of players that includes his son and former Dwight Yoakam sideman, Scott Joss, on guitar. His current wife – following a pattern of former wives! – adds harmony vocals and joins him for a duet on ‘Live And Love Always’, one of the most upbeat songs on the album. The tone ranges from the Tex/Mex mariachi feel of ‘Mexican Music’ to the controlled anger of ‘I’ve Seen It Go Away’, a song about being let down by music, politician’s promises and love. ‘Pretty When It’s New’ is about love’s first bloom and how it needs to be nurtured after that initial honeymoon period. Love is the main theme, of course, but the title song and closing track offer a summation of where Haggard is today.
Both albums are a sign of how it is possible to grow older gracefully. Long may they run...