Sing Me Back Home/Legend Of Bonnie & Clyde

The pace at which Haggard turned out full albums (one in '65, two in '66, and two in '67) was unslowed in 1968, with this two-fer (the third in Capitol's reissue program) representing only the first two of three released in that year. Even more astounding is that the quality was consistent or improving throughout the run. Haggard continued writing excellent original material, while at the same time proving to be a superbly talented interpreter of other's material.

The opening title track of "Sing Me Back Home" is among Haggard's greatest prison songs - no easy feat, given the riches of such material in his catalog. The first-person narrative of an inmate watching another walking to his final reward is tinged with sorrow, wistfulness, faith, and a thousand other emotions. Haggard's vocal is complex and touching, as it is on so many songs in this collection, including the delicate, broken-hearted ballad "Look Over Me." The album's arrangements are typically spare, with...Read more