A Friend in California is the forty-first studio album by American recording artist Merle Haggard with backing by The Strangers, released in 1986.
| A Friend in California | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1986 | |||
| Studio | 1111 Sound Studios, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 28:44 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer | Merle Haggard, Ron Reynolds | |||
| Merle Haggard chronology | ||||
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| Singles from A Friend in California | ||||
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Recording and composition
editHaggard produced the album with Ron "Snake" Reynolds. Most of the songs were written by Haggard and Freddy Powers, who had become one of Haggard's favorite writers during this period. A Friend in California boasts a re-energized-sounding Haggard performing several up-tempo numbers like "This Song is for You," "Silverthorn Mountain," and "I Had a Beautiful Time." He also plays off his own legend with "The Okie from Muskogee's Comin' Home" and the autobiographical "Mama's Prayer" which pays tribute to his late mother. Other noteworthy tracks is his bluesy take on the Floyd Tillman classic "This Cold War with You" and the obligatory western swing paean "Texas."
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[2] |
Music critic Robert Christgau wrote "Just when I decide he's gonna lay back forever he ambles into this. No Nippophobia, minimal love pap, a touch of Mexico, and lots of swing—except for one Freddy Powers pledge it keeps going till the obligatory sentimentality of the last two cuts."[2]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Friend in California" | Freddy Powers | 3:18 |
| 2. | "This Time I Really Do" | F. Powers | 3:00 |
| 3. | "This Cold War with You" | Floyd Tillman | 1:52 |
| 4. | "I Had a Beautiful Time" | Haggard | 3:01 |
| 5. | "Texas" | Haggard, F. Powers | 3:01 |
| 6. | "The Okie from Muskogee's Comin' Home" | Haggard, F. Powers | 2:23 |
| 7. | "Mama's Prayer" | Haggard | 2:50 |
| 8. | "Silverthorn Mountain" | Haggard | 2:01 |
| 9. | "The Song Is for You" | F. Powers, Mary Lou Powers | 3:32 |
| 10. | "Thank You for Keeping Our House" | Haggard, Debbie Parret | 3:18 |
Personnel
edit- Merle Haggard – vocals, guitar, fiddle
- Roy Nichols – guitar
- Norman Hamlet – steel guitar, dobro
- Clint Strong – guitar
- Mark Yeary – keyboards
- Dennis Hromek – bass
- Biff Adam – drums
- Jimmy Belken – fiddle
- Don Markham – trumpet, saxophone
- Gary Church – trombone, trumpet
with:
- Freddy Powers – backing vocals
and:
- Donna Faye – backing vocals
Charts
editReferences
edit- ^ "A Friend in California > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "A Friend in California > Review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
- ^ "Merle Haggard Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
- ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Retrieved June 9, 2021.