Willie Nelson Workin' Man: Willie Sings Merle LP

Workin' 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.

Nelson 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. Nelson'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."

Produced 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.

Willie and his band are effortlessly in the pocket throughout these songs, as he amiably calls out solos from his little sister and offers his opinions at the end of some takes. Like a great many of Nelson's albums, Workin' Man really does sound like he knocked it out live in the studio in a couple afternoons, but that's never been a bad thing in his world - he's nearly always best working in the moment and not overthinking the songs too much, and here he clearly takes subtle joy in remembering his friend and fellow songwriting legend.