Customer Reviews

If I Could Only Fly

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I think this is an excellent CD. I'm proud of Merle for continuing to keep his career alive through recording as well as live performances. I recommend this title to you if:

1. You are a Merle Haggard fan and want his current sound.

2. You are tired of the re-issued and re-record Merle Hits and want something new to bathe your ears with.

3. You like traditional country, including western swing and blues.

4. You want to encourage Merle to keep recording.

These songs, simply lyrics and arrangements for the most part, are the kinds of performances you would expect to hear if Hag and The Strangers came over to your house for an outdoor barbeque and decide to jam a little: there are no attempts at hit-single material here with its necessary song-hooks; rather, just solid performances by seasoned veterans still on their game. I recommend this CD.

Merle Haggard new CD sets out as a showcase for a whole new generation of fans and ends up being an emotional tour de force,that ranks as one of the strongest albums of his long career.The opening song "Wishing All These Old Things Were New" is stunning in its opening lines,as Hag warbles"Watchin while some old friend do a line"the open intensity which marks all Hags best work,is starkly evident here as he runs the gamut of all the sub-styles of Country Music,"Honky Tonky" is pure Emmett Miller style 1920s blues, and Hags enjoyment of singing it comes across well to the listener."Turn To Me"with its Floyd Tillman phrasing,is both beautiful and sad,with its Bakersfield sound production,and soulful steel from longtime sideman Norman Hamlet.I can,t for the life of me understand why he has re-recorded "If I could Only Fly"The song(nice though it is!) wasn,t a hit before(with Willie Nelson)and won,t be again,its far too long-winded and in parts like

the lines of the song its self,just plain dismal,(Too long for the radio),and depressing.A wet monday morning in november, feel!.We come to probably one of the two most commercial songs on the album,"Crazy Moon"with its Samba style beat,Merle works hard on it,and given the right airplay,might be a big hit for him,the voice is strained a little on the high notes,but even that adds to the overall feel of the song,and, Like nine of the songs on the album,a Haggard original song."Bareback" is pure Bob Wills Western Swing,with some fine acoustic lead form Redd Volskart on lead guitar,a real fun song for partying and dances,this on will go the rounds of honky-tonks for years to come,Rich and salty,and a great song!.Given the circumstances of the next song on the album, "Think Abmut A Lullaby"is immensely sad & moving,only Merle Haggard could convey the emotions,and the reasons why the song was written,a minor masterpiece!The next three songs on the set, are mainly to do with family,as follows:"Proud To Be Your Old Man,(Funny):Leavin,s Getting Harder,(Wistful&wishing)"Thanks To Uncle John"(Grateful)great writing prevade each of the songs,and remind us of all thats lacking in the Nashville-conveyer-belt style currently in vogue on the country charts,in short,SOUL! Hag has saved the best track on the album for the last,"Listening To The Wind" is quite simpley beautiful, this is Merle Haggard at full throttle,the one who wrote"Shellys Winter Love,and "If We Make It Through December"The song haunts, and brings a thousand images to life,for anyone,who will hear it, If he releases it,the song could be a No1 for him,but even so,its a masterclass in songwriting,for anyone,who ever put pen to paper,with an idea in their head,the vocals are subtle and assured,and Merle and his song do each other full justice,a classic in the making,and worth the price of the CD on its own!. Overall,the best Haggard Album,since "A Friend In California" way back in the mid-eighties,I hope it does well,as its free from the superficiality on modern country, and,released from the shackles of big Country Record Labels, Merle,s still setting the pace.

Merle Haggard returns to action with an astonishing first recording for the L.A. based indie, Anti Records. "If I Could Only Fly" perhaps follows the path set by Johnny Cash in his recent work, but the result is hardly imitative. Haggard has been much appreciated in recent years but, truth be told, its been a long while since he recorded a solid album of new material. Haggard wrote almost everything here, and they mark a return to the plainspoken but heartfelt songs of his younger days.

The simple, rough-hewn arrangements suit the melodies well, and the blend of honky tonk and western swing has never been more infectious. I was surprised by the energy of these songs, and the album as a whole manages to be both fun and moving. At 63, Merle Haggard has made one of the most adventurous albums of his stellar career, and its is truly a triumph. Unfortunately, "If I Could Only Fly" deserves to reach a wider audience than it is likely to find. Fans of both traditional country and alt. country will enjoy this nice surprise from Haggard.

The best all round Haggard album since "Chill Factor" released in 1987.

Merle Haggard had seemed resigned to letting his career drift away late in life but as the other reviews here point out, Merle has written a fine collection of autobiographical material and is in his finest singing form in years.

I have seen Merle Haggard in concert 28 times since 1972 and would strongly recommend catching his current touring band. Three years ago I saw him perform at a level so dismal that it would have been unimaginable 10 years ago. Merle has come roaring back though in these last couple of years.

Steel guitarist Norm Hamlet is the only original Stranger still with the band (35 years+ and counting) but Bonnie Owens is back, as well as longtime mainstay Don Markham on sax. Drummer Biff Adams has finally retired even though he appears on one track on this CD.

The most exciting news is the presence of guitarist Red Valhaert. He captures the feel of longtime guitarist Roy Nichols (who suffered a stroke years ago) and is the best practitioner of the "Bakersfield sound" guitar. Check out his recent CD entitled "Telewacker" which contains an excellent tribute to Buck Owens guitarist Don Rich called "The Buck Stops Here". Highly recommended.

If you're any kind of a Merle Haggard fan this album will feel like an old friend dropped by to visit. Also check out Merle's duet on the new Johnny Cash album if you need more.

Is it an exaggeration to say that Merle haggard, a man with over fifty albums to his credit, outdid himself on this, his latest record? Absolutely not.

His last album, "1996," was a good effort but the sound was a bit like something out of a carnival and the poignancy of Merle's lyrics and sound had all but vanished. The exact opposite is true here. This album is brutally raw, both musically and lyrically. Merle haggard seems uninterested in catching up to the times. Technology and heavy-handed production are given a well-deserved back seat here. Not since the 70's have we heard such glorious fiddle licks as on "Thanks to Uncle John," acoustic picking or such catcthy but honest melodies as on the drum and percussion driven "I'm Still Your Daddy." It's beena while since Merle gave us songs that we're likely to be humming in the shower.

But the desperate attempts to try and stop time with the muscle of his lyrics are perhaps the most gripping moments, as on the stripped down "Wishin' All These Old Things Were New" or the brilliant title track, which is one of the best ballads to leak from Merle's melancholic pen in quite some time.

"If I Could Only Fly" is the work of a man who recognizes that his glory days behind him and is now treading forward to his last years. This album is the narrative of that journey to the sunset of his life. It may be the most honest recording Merle's ever done; he lets his life bleed all over the songs, and sometimes his smoothly tattered voice sounds as though writing such an obviously personal record was no painless task. These songs don't come from his voice, they come from his blood. That kind of achievement is getting rarer by the hour in contemporary music, no less country music. This album is not just a must buy, it is the chance of a lifetime.

Punk label Anti- gave Haggard and the Strangers what American and Rick Rubin did for Johnny Cash: room to run and do exactly what Hag wants, with no apologies. The result is a quintessential Haggard album from where the 63 year old legend sits now, and it ain't Music Row. That's clear from the graceful lament "Wishing All These Old Things Were New" about addictions and vices that country radio doesn't want to talk about anymore. Whether it's the creative freedom or the contentment in his home life, Hag's singing, songwriting, and guitar work are the best they've been in over a decade. "Turn To Me" and the title track are a pair of uniquely Haggard ballads worthy of his best days. "Leavin's Getting Harder" is a charmingly understated country number about increasingly not wanting to leave home to play, yet knowing "If I don't travel I don't make a dime." Country radio would benefit from any or all three of these songs. You get stretches like the slightly Brazillian beat of "Crazy Moon" and the lilting "(Think About A) Lullaby," the romper "Honky Tonky Mama," "Thanks to Uncle John" that shows a glimpse into who started Hag down his musical path, and "I'm Still Your Daddy" where Merle tells his child about his checkered past ("It's time you knew the truth about your papa/I've not always been the man I am today"). Redemption and desire, contentment and longing -- in all, Haggard could not have struck truer to himself than he does here, and I want to hear the album that's better than this one.

One of Merle's best albums in years, he seems to have thrown off his frustration at being ignored by mainstream "country" executives and turned back to his strength--writing & singing from his heart. It's remarkable how he can express himself as he grows older without being maudlin or still pretending to be the wild thing he once was. He sings of love, frustration, longing and desire just as he always has, only he's put the weight of his experience behind each note. This is a rich, full album with the best of the Hag's soul. He writes the soundtrack to life for you--all you have to do is listen.

Merle Haggard is a national treasure. On "If I Could Only Fly" Merle offers up his unique insights on the aging process without any of the maudlin self-pity that subject often elicits. From the wistful title cut to my favorite, the sly, bouncing "Bareback", this is a classic. But, be forewarned -- this stuff ain't for kids.

The songs on "If I Could Only Fly" are deep and rich in emotional intensity and the artistry we have come to expect from a master. The mix is uncompromisingly non-commercial. It is one of the few country-western albums I have ever bought and one of the very best I have ever heard. You don't have to be a C/W buff to love this major work. These songs speak from the heart. The lead track "Wishin' Old Things Were New" is a powerful statement about the passing of time and overcoming addictions that are always lurking around the corner like a haunting ghost. Buy this for someone who would least expect it and expand their mind.

I could say alot about the current state of Country music. I'm not a fan of most of the new stuff. So when I go to the music store, it is the legends that I look for to find good music. My CD library is full of those legends from Bob Wills to Lefty Frizzel. 'If I Could Only Fly' is my newest album in this category, it's a great CD and I've only listened to it a few times so far.

The songs are honest and they make you ponder the the real things in life which is what Haggard seems to be doing as he sings these songs. He's thinking, remembering, and hoping all at the same time here, heck, there's all kinds of things he's trying to get across, and he does it well. Listen to the track's Amazon has available to hear, but that will only give you a piece of what this album offers. The title song is my favorite so far, it's honest like the rest, and the song comes out sad when it's really not a sad song, Haggard just has that much of a story to tell, and the vocals are great, like I said this is just good country music.

Can't wait for the next album.