Merle Haggard: I Am What I Am

The Hagg tells it like it is with his latest album, I Am What I Am.

Arguably the greatest country singer/songwriter of all time, there just ain’t no one like him.

I am What I am isn’t Merle Haggard at his finest, but it has its moments. The album shifts from reflective tracks like “I’ve Seen it Go Away” (conjures up memories of Johnny Cash’s “Hurt”) to the softer, jazz piano based “Pretty When It’s New” (sounds a little like Dylan’s “When Dogs Run Free) to more classic Merle like “Live and Love Always.”

Merle’s old. He’s lived. He has stories to tell.

In his own words from the title track: “I’m no longer a fugitive and I’m not on the land. I’m just a rambler, I am what I am. I do what I do, cause I do give a damn. And I’m not a tramp and I’m not a drifter, I am what I am.”

He continues to proclaim that he” believes Jesus is god. And the pig is just ham.”

Right on, Merle. You don’t get much more country than that.

Good ol’ Merle croons a cowboy lullaby with his recent appearance on the Letterman Show.