Merle Haggard - Live at Billy Bob's Texas

Billy Bob's Texas is self-billed as "The World's Largest Honky Tonk." Therefore, it's pretty fitting for the World's Greatest Honky Tonk Singer (okay, that's my opinion) to play there. Mighty Merle was one of the first artists recorded live at Billy Bob's back in 1999, and he was ready and rarin' to do it again for this new series of awesome live performances.

There's not a whole lot to say about Merle Haggard live that I haven't already said in reviewing his concerts. He's Merle Haggard. To me, that name simply means it's great. Don't have to go much further. But fortunately for the more objective listener, he's still Mighty Merle, with that golden voice and those great songs, and there's nothing at all to complain about with this disc, except of course that Merle does a short, crisp, concise show, and he doesn't do encores, so it's a little short.. To make up for that, there's an extra studio track clipped on at the end, and that's okay, too, especially since it's a taut recording of "Ol' Country Singer" with Freddy Powers.

Since it isn't a very lengthy concert disc, it's also a little shy of many "Haggard greats," but no one can really complain that Merle doesn't do chestnuts like "Okie" in concert that much anymore. He does perform a kickin' honky-tonk version of the bluegrass standard "Get Along Home Cindy," as well as beautiful later Merle tracks like "Footlights" and "Turn Myself In." He also does beautiful, but more rarely heard, songs such as "Kern River" and "Farmer's Daughter."

Merle's playing here with his great live band, including the magnificent Norm Stephens on guitar and Scott Joss on fiddle, and Janie Fricke is backing him on vocals. For those of us who can't get to Billy Bob's Texas, it's a sure-fire treat to get little slices of it this way. Keep the concerts coming.