Many hardcore Haggard fans will go to bat for “Serving 190 Proof” as his best, and they might be right. The album gets cited as Merle Haggards most personal and theres no doubt thats true. The album is probably best remembered for its opener “Footlights”, a mid-career rumination on the loneliness of a touring musicians life. The bluesy “Got Lonely Too Early This Morning” and “I Didnt Mean To Love You”, plus “Driftwood” and “I Cant Get Away”, opposite sides of the same coin. Though the optimistic “Roses in the Winter” provides an impressive finale. Merle Haggard sings like these songs meant more to him than any he is done in years.
