{"product_id":"willie-nelson-workin-man-willie-sings-merle-cd","title":"Willie Nelson – Workin' Man: Willie Sings Merle (CD)","description":"\u003ch3\u003eReview\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee,\" Willie Nelson sings through a cloud of irony thicker than the haze on his tour bus.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmerica's biggest nonagenarian stoner is, of course, singing Merle Haggard's anti-marijuana screed \"Okie from Muskogee.\" And the joke is nearly as delicious as hearing Bobbie Nelson and Paul English playing alongside Willie once again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll of this happens on Workin' Man: Willie Sings Merle. It's Nelson's 78th solo studio LP and features 10 additional Haggard compositions and the final recordings of drummer English, who died in 2020, and Little Sister Bobbie, who died in 2022.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe result is an otherwise-impossible Family band reunion. And the joy is palpable as Willie calls tinkling piano solos with \"play it, Little Sister,\" answers her on Trigger and sings behind the beat of English's lightly brushed signature snare.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHarmonica blower Mickey Raphael adds plaintive textures to the songs he co-produced with Nelson and the pair wisely included playful studio banter to accompany such titles as the Grateful Dead-adjacent \"Mama Tried,\" \"Workin' Man Blues,\" \"Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down,\" \"Mama Tried\" and \"Somewhere Between.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCome for the irony. Stay for the memories\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e— Kristopher Weiss, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/relix.com\/reviews\/detail\/willie-nelson-workin-man-willie-sings-merle\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eRelix\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eProduct Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"relix-editorial\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe friendship between Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard ran deeper than most musical partnerships, rooted in a shared outlaw spirit and a mutual respect that stretched back decades through the honky-tonk trenches of country music. Haggard passed away on his 79th birthday in April 2016, and this tribute feels less like an obligation than a conversation Willie has been meaning to finish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003chr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWorkin' Man: Willie Sings Merle is Willie Nelson's 78th solo studio album and 155th album overall. It features Willie's new interpretations of classic songs written by Merle Haggard, the latest in Nelson's storied history of focusing entire albums on a single songwriter's or artist's work. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNelson and Haggard were longtime friends and collaborators who released three collaborative albums together: 1983's Pancho and Lefty, 2007's Last of the Breed (alongside Ray Price), and 2015's Django and Jimmie. Eleven of Willie's favorite Merle compositions were handpicked for the album. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNelson's new performances include songs from various parts of the legend's career, from tracks off of Merle's first #1 Country album, 1966's Swinging Doors (\"Swinging Doors,\" \"Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down\") and late 60s career defining hits (\"Mama Tried,\" \"Okie From Muskogee\") to 70s classics (the heart-breaking holiday track \"If We Make It Through December,\" the southern-rock tinged \"Ramblin' Fever\") and Merle's #1 honky-tonk classic from 1980 \"I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eProduced by the artist with longtime collaborator Mickey Raphael, the album was recorded at Nelson's Pedernales Studios in Austin and features the final recordings he did alongside longtime Family band members \"Sister Bobbie\" Nelson and Paul English. Constants in Nelson's personal and professional world longer than anyone, Sister Bobbie on piano and English on drums are joined by Raphael on harmonica, Kevin Smith on bass, and Paul's brother Billy English on drums and percussion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003chr\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv data-bt-autogen=\"\"\u003e\n\u003c!-- TRACKLIST_START --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTracklist\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e1. Workin' Man Blues (5:17)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e2. Silver Wings (5:59)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e3. Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down (2:48)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e4. Today I Started Loving You Again (3:25)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e5. Swinging Doors (2:53)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e6. Okie From Muskogee (2:50)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e7. Mama Tried (2:18)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e8. I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink (3:31)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e9. Somewhere Between (3:03)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e10. If We Make It Through December (3:30)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e11. Ramblin' Fever (3:37)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- TRACKLIST_END --\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUPC:\u003c\/strong\u003e 198029605020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLabel:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sony Legacy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelease Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e 11.7.25\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e CD\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Broadtime","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48271242559643,"sku":"17257190","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1041\/7172\/files\/packshot-8978187747483-cd-relix.png?v=1776802743","url":"https:\/\/relix.shop\/products\/willie-nelson-workin-man-willie-sings-merle-cd","provider":"relix.shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}