In House #1742: Jones & Haggard's Kickin' Out the Footlights...Again; Reissued Dwight Yoakam

The gentlemen behind the new collaboration Kickin' Out the Footlights...Again hardly require introductions. George Jones and Merle Haggard can each lay claim to an impressive legacy when it comes to modern country music. Each has cultivated a style, both in their singing and their writing, that has been copied time and again over the years, even persisting in the mix of today's less than country mainstream stars. Nearly twenty-five years after the recording of their first album together, A Taste of Yesterday's Wine, the two have emerged with a tribute of sorts to the songs of one another, Jones singing Haggard and Haggard singing Jones. Also included are a handful of duets, a new Haggard original (with guest vocals from Rhonda Vincent), and a countrified if somewhat out of place stab at Duke Ellington's "Don't Get Around Much Anymore." Each hovering near 70 (Jones is 75, Haggard 69), the duo still sounds great, much like Willie Nelson showing few signs of wear and tear despite having become the genre's elder statesmen. Indeed, these guys remind us what country music sounds like-- it's a shame they won't be getting play on so-called country radio.


In House #1742.
Airdate: 11/08/06
Focus: New collaboration from George Jones & Merle Haggard, Kickin' Out the Footlights...Again, plus new music Willie Nelson, Wayne Hancock, newly reissued Dwight Yoakam, and more.


PLAYLIST

In House PODCAST #204