Jones Sings Haggard, Haggard Sings Jones: Kickin' Out the Footlights... Again

Nearly 25 years after their last album together (1982's A Taste of Yesterday's Wine), the Possum and the Hag reunite... with a twist. This time, they sing each other's songs. The conceit can be dangerous unless you're playing it for laughs, e.g., Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley on the former's 1960 television special. But though Jones puts more emotion into interpreting Haggard's songs than Hag reciprocates, these two old legends manage to pull it off. And with the help of producer Keith Stegall (Alan Jackson), they keep the music solid, too, spotlighting steel guitar great Norm Hamlet and celebrated piano sideman Pigg Robbins, who played on many of their original recordings. Jones particularly shines on "The Way I Am," and Haggard proves sublime on "I Always Get Lucky with You." Where the album really lights up, however, is on the duo's pocketful of duets, starting with a poignant and intensely resonant rendition of Haggard's classic aging-musician ballad, "Footlights." Surprisingly, the repertoire never seems tired, and there's a surprise around every corner: Rhonda Vincent adding splendid harmonies on Haggard's new "Born to the Blues" and Jones turning transcendent on a confessional line about being "crazy and lonely." Just as these ragged masters take their leave, they put a little more Western in Duke Ellington's swing ("Don't Get Around Much Anymore"), filling in the middle with a warm, nostalgic banter that reminds listeners just how much these two have seen and done. Who knew hard-luck autobiography could sound so exquisite? --Alanna Nash

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