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Nov 24, 2025 Web Exclusive By Kyle Mullin

It’s fun to hear Willie Nelson, of all people, sing the famous lyric: “We don’t smoke marijuana in Muskogee.” Not only because the Texas county legend is a famed pothead, but also because his dearly departed pal Merle Haggard co-wrote and recorded the beloved song “Okie from Muskogee” in 1969, and it has since become a staple of satirizing conservatism.

Nelson reinterprets “Okie from Muskogee,” and some of Haggard’s other biggest hits, on the new 11-track LP, Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle. The pair toured and collaborated frequently, most notably on the Billboard Country chart topper “Pancho and Lefty” in 1983. Nelson doesn’t cover that song here, perhaps because it would be too sad to do so without Haggard (who died in 2016). Instead, Nelson and his backing band The Family boost the tempo of “If We Make It Through December,” making it sound more hopeful than Haggard’s somber and stubbornly denial-riddled original.

The iconic violin solo by Scott Joss, of Haggard’s band The Strangers, on “Silver Wings” is reinterpreted here on harmonica by The Family’s Mickey Raphael. Somehow, Raphael matches the melancholy of Haggard and The Strangers’ 1969 version on the harp. Then there’s Nelson’s voice, which hits higher registers and brings a brief wailing agony to the “Silver Wings” line “Don’t leave me, I cried / Don’t take that airplane ride.”

Then, Nelson all but brays the cuss laden lyrics of the restless road anthem “Ramblin’ Fever.” Apart from making it sound uniquely cheekily-defiant, Nelson also rekindles the tossed off fun he and Haggard clearly had performing the song with Joe Walsh and Toby Keith for a 2004 live album.

These are but a few of the successes throughout Workin’ Man’s brisk 39-minute runtime. So it’s odd that Nelson omitted one of Haggard’s most renowned songs, “Sing Me Back Home.” The three-minute song wouldn’t have added much to this album’s length. And Nelson surely would’ve put a compelling spin on its death row narrative, given his Outlaw Country stature. Nelson could’ve used the same rascally tone from his new “Ramblin’ Fever” cover, for instance, to bring a new twist to Haggard’s solemnly straightforward original heartbreaker.

Indeed, Workin’ Man isn’t only lean in terms of runtime. Nelson and The Family give these songs an unfussy acoustic, fly on the wall vibe. This leaves Haggard’s songwriting to stand on its own, making plain just how long a shadow the Outlaw bard cast.

And yet, fans who witnessed Haggard in his prime will remember not only his skills with a pen, guitar, and on the microphone. He was also one of the best users of top shelf production and backing bands. Pinging hi-fi percussion made the original “Workin’ Man Blues” sound like John Henry hammering away at the railway, one spike at a time. And on his all time classic “Silver Wings” Haggard made the straightforward yet brilliant choice to fade out his vocals at the end of the song, just as he sang about the airplane carrying his darling away also faded out of sight.

On other high profile and deeply personal country covers albums, studio flourishes cast classics in a whole new light. Prime examples: Steve Earle’s cinematic sounding take on his friend and mentor Townes Van Zandt’s “Lungs.” Or Roseanne Cash’s all the more adorned version of “Sea of Heartbreak,” a favorite of her father, and another famous friend of Nelson’s, Johnny Cash. The marquee name collaborators on those covers—Tom Morello and Bruce Springsteen, respectively—also turned heads.

Nelson opts for none of that here. And that’s the point. Maximalist fans might miss the razzle dazzle. But Merle Haggard would certainly be moved by this intimate, off the floor sounding tribute, because it sounds like pals jamming. To paraphrase another country classic: on Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle, Nelson finds love is making music with, and for, his friends. (www.willienelson.com)

Author rating: 8/10