I Am What I Am (Merle Haggard album)

I Am What I Am
Studio album by Merle Haggard
Released	April 20, 2010 (2010-04-20)
Genre	Country
Length	40:25
Label	Vanguard
Producer	Lou Bradley Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard chronology
The Bluegrass Sessions (2007) I Am What I Am (2010) Working in Tennessee (2011)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	81/100 [1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
American Songwriter	[3]
The A.V. Club	A– [4]
Billboard	[5]
Christgau’s Consumer Guide	B+ [6]
Mojo	[7]
Rolling Stone	[8]
Spin	9/10 [9]
The Telegraph	[10]
Uncut	[11]

I Am What I Am is the sixty-second studio album by American country music artist Merle Haggard. It was released on April 20, 2010 by Vanguard Records. The album peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. ^[12]

The final song, “It's Gonna Be Me,” was only released on Amazon.com, despite having received positive review as a song which stands out with a heavy bass line and social-critical lyrics. ^[13]

Track listing

All songs written by Merle Haggard except where noted.

1. "I've Seen It Go Away" – 3:00
2. "Pretty When It's New" – 3:12
3. "Oil Tanker Train" – 3:02
4. "Live and Love Always" – 2:30
5. "The Road to My Heart" (Freddy Powers) – 2:50
6. "How Did You Find Me Here" (M. Haggard, Theresa Lane Haggard) – 3:55
7. "We're Falling in Love Again" – 3:31
8. "Bad Actor" (Doug Colosio, M. Haggard, Scott Joss) – 3:28
9. "Down at the End of the Road" – 3:10
10. "Stranger in the City" – 2:09
11. "Mexican Bands" – 3:27
12. "I Am What I Am" – 2:38
13. "It's Gonna Be Me" – 3:27 (Amazon exclusive)

Personnel

• Merle Haggard - fiddle, guitar, lead vocals, background vocals
• Norm Hamlet - steel guitar
• Biff Adam - bass guitar, drums
• Don Markham - trumpet
• Gary Church - trombone
• Red Lane - guitar
• Doug Colosio - piano
• Ben Haggard - drums, guitar, soloist, background vocals
• Theresa Lane Haggard - lead and background vocals
• Tim Howard - guitar, soloist
• Rob Ickes - Dobro
• Scott Joss - fiddle, guitar, background vocals
• George Receli - drums, percussion, background vocals
• Reggie Young - guitar

Chart performance

Chart (2010)	Peak position
US Billboard 200 [14]	77
US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [15]	18
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [16]	11

References

1. "Reviews for I Am What I Am by Merle Haggard". Metacritic . Retrieved May 15, 2025.
2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "I Am What I Am review". AllMusic . Retrieved March 6, 2011.
3. Shoaf, Alex (April 27, 2010). "MERLE HAGGARD > I Am What I Am". American Songwriter . Retrieved May 15, 2025.
4. Rabin, Nathan (April 27, 2010). "Merle Haggard: I Am What I Am". The A.V. Club . Retrieved May 15, 2025.
5. Billboard Staff (May 14, 2010). "Merle Haggard, "I Am What I Am"". Billboard . Retrieved May 15, 2025.
6. Christgau, Robert. "Merle Haggard". Robert Christgau . Retrieved May 15, 2025.
7. Haggard's now 73 and I Am What I Am is as good as anything he has ever done. [June 2010, p. 94]
8. Rosen, Jody (April 28, 2010). "I Am What I Am - Merle Haggard". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on April 28, 2010. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
9. Gerstenzang, Peter (June 1, 2010). "SPIN Jun 2010". Spin . Retrieved May 15, 2025.
10. Boynton, Graham (April 16, 2010). "Merle Haggard, I Am What I Am, CD review". The Telegraph . Retrieved May 15, 2025.
11. These songs are full and rich, with longtime foil The Strangers creating honky-tonk, country shuffles and even Tin Pan Alley backdrops that often explode with life. [May 2010, p.98]
12. "I Am What I Am Charts". Allmusic . Retrieved March 6, 2011.
13. Best Music Writing 2010 p240 "One tune, called “It's Gonna Be Me,” stands out with its heavy bass line and lyrics that stake Haggard's claim to singing about what's wrong with the country today. “Who's gonna say the people's mad?” he growls. “Who's gonna say the music's .."
14. "Merle Haggard Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
15. "Merle Haggard Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard.
16. "Merle Haggard Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.