Still basking in the glow of Merle Haggard

I’m still basking in the glow of a very special live show a little over a week ago pairing Merle Haggard with Neko Case. Neko opened with a gorgeous set that leaned hard on torchy ballads. Her powerful vocals were well-received by the crowd, and no doubt she converted more than a few folks who were there into Neko fans.

As for Merle, he’s simply one of the true legends of American music. While his popular image can sometimes veer into caricature, he’s a complex artist and a wily fellow that refuses to be pinned down. He’s a western swing bandleader, and also a folksinger. He’s an outlaw country rebel and a jazz balladeer. He’s a down-to-earth bluesman and a barroom honky tonker. He’s a guitarist, a fiddler and simply the finest singer-songwriter country music has ever known. Here’s a neat video of Merle performing “Sing Me Back Home” with Johnny Cash...

He showed all those sides and more at the Paramount with a set that ranged from Hag classics, some lesser-known gems and some newer songs to a variety of covers from Bob Wills and Jimmie Rodgers to the old pop chestnut “As Times Goes By.” He even debuted a playful new political song celebrating Hillary Clinton’s presidential candidacy while declining to play the long-time crowd favorite “Okie from Muskogee,” which goes to show how much Hag’s political views have evolved through the years...

Haggard’s voice has also changed through the years, developing a warm, burnished tone reminiscent of his idol Lefty Frizzell. Like Lefty, he’s a crafty, deeply soulful singer who relies less on power and more on subtlety to get a song across, shading and bending notes to evoke a wide range of emotions, and while he may be pushing 70, no country singer around nowadays can match his artistry. There’s still only one Hag – see him while you can.