Album Review: Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, And Ray Price – Last of the Breed

The first thing you notice when looking over the list of songs is the absence of giant hits from Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Ray Price. The possible exception being “Heartaches by the Numbers.” The typical classics/hits from these legends can be found on a number of other albums, so Last of the Breed gives them a chance to turn some of these newly recorded versions of old classics into hits of their own all over again; traditional country for the new generation.

While the album does contain newer songs, Nelson’s “Back To Earth” and Haggard’s “Sweet Jesus” come to mind, the majority of the two-disc album is spent paying homage to songs either written or recorded by some of country music’s greatest legends: “My Life’s Been a Pleasure” – Bob Wills, “Mom and Dad’s Waltz” – Lefty Frizzell, “Why Me” – Kris Kristofferson, “Lost Highway” – Hank Williams, “I Love You a Thousand Ways” – Lefty Frizzell, “Please Don’t Leave Me Anymore Darlin’” – Ernest Tubb, “I Gotta Have My Baby Back” – Floyd Tillman, “Goin’ Away Party” – Bob Wills / Cindy Walker, “Sweet Memories” – Ray Charles, “Pick Me Up On Your Way Down” – Faron Young, “I Love You Because” – Hank Snow, “I Love You So Much It Hurts” – Floyd Tillman / Patsy Cline, “That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine” – Gene Autry; and that’s only the beginning.

The nod to traditional country music is not only present in the song choices, but in the band as well. Buddy Emmons, a legendary steel guitar hero, lends his skills to the album along with Johnny Gimble on the fiddle. Listen to “Heartaches by the Number” for some superb fiddle and steel guitar playing to join Ray Price’s vocals on the classic from Harlan Howard. And, as if that’s not already enough, Vince Gill makes a guest appearance. Kristofferson is the only other guest appearance, joining in on his “Why Me.”

For me, “Mom and Dad’s Waltz” is one of the highlights of the album for the lyrical content, amazing instrumentation, and the combined vocals of the artists singing in harmony. With that said, there are no songs chosen specifically for radio singles leaving the rest of the album dedicated to filler space. It is a complete album from beginning to end, everything comes together to achieve one goal: to pay homage to the last of the breed.