Workin' Man

Last updated
Workin' Man
Willie Sings Merle.jpg
Studio album by
Willie Nelson
ReleasedNovember 7, 2025
Studio
Genre Country
Length39:01
Label Legacy
Producer
  • Willie Nelson
  • Mickey Raphael
Willie Nelson chronology
Oh What a Beautiful World
(2025)		Workin' Man
(2025)
Singles from Workin' Man
  1. "Workin' Man Blues"
    Released: September 4, 2025

Workin' Man: Willie Sings Merle is the 78th solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. It was released on November 7, 2025, through Legacy Recordings. [1] Produced by Nelson and Mickey Raphael, the album contains eleven songs by Nelson's late frequent collaborator Merle Haggard. [2]

Contents

Background

Nelson had recorded four studio duet albums with Haggard, from the 1983 Pancho & Lefty (which yielded a #1 hit with the title track) to Haggard's final studio album Django and Jimmie in 2015. This album includes Nelson's last recordings with Bobbie Nelson and Paul English, both long-serving members of his Family Band. [3]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [4]

Mark Deming at AllMusic praised the performances of Nelson and the band's "in the moment" approach to the performances (including studio chatter and ad-libs) but noted that Nelson chose to interpret Haggard's most familiar songs. [4]

Track listing

Workin' Man: Willie Sings Merle track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Workin' Man Blues" Merle Haggard 5:15
2."Silver Wings"Haggard5:58
3."The Bottle Let Me Down"Haggard2:47
4."Today I Started Loving You Again"
3:24
5."Swinging Doors"Haggard2:52
6."Okie from Muskogee"
  • Haggard
  • Roy Edward Burns
2:49
7."Mama Tried"Haggard2:18
8."I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink"Haggard3:30
9."Somewhere Between"
  • Haggard
  • Owens
3:03
10."If We Make It Through December"Haggard3:30
11."Ramblin' Fever"Haggard3:35
Total length:39:01

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. [5]

Charts

Chart performance for Workin' Man
Chart (2025)Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC) [6] 99
UK Americana Albums (OCC) [7] 22
UK Country Albums (OCC) [8] 1
US Top Album Sales (Billboard) [9] 44

References

  1. ↑ Breihan, Tom (September 4, 2025). "Willie Nelson Announces 155th Album Workin' Man: Willie Sings Merle". Stereogum . Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  2. ↑ Gammell, Áine (September 4, 2025). "Willie Nelson announces album Workin' Man: Willie Sings Merle". Hot Press . Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  3. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (September 4, 2025). "Willie Nelson Pays Tribute to Merle Haggard on New Album 'Workin' Man'". Rolling Stone . Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Collar, Matt (1 November 2024). "Last Leaf on the Tree review". AllMusic. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Workin' Man: Willie Sings Merle / Willie Nelson / Credits". Tidal . Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Willie Nelson Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.