Tim Bluhm announced a Merle Haggard tribute album, Hag Heaven, due out on November 20 via Blue Rose Records with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Blue Rose Foundation. Bluhm previewed the collection with Haggard’s “Am I Standing In Your Way.”
Tim teamed up with Mark Adams to co-produce the album. Admas detailed the 11-song set in a statement:
Recorded at the artist’s home with a dizzying array of vintage instruments, world-class microphones, and collectible gear, Hag Heaven by Tim Bluhm is a carefully crafted and seamlessly performed collection of 11 of Merle Haggard’s greatest compositions.
A few months prior to recording Hag Heaven, Bluhm and I finished Loaded with Lefty: A Tribute to Lefty Frizzell, employing nearly the same cast of characters that are on Hag Heaven. We sketched out the process for both albums with the same criteria: only songs written by the Artist would be considered, with deep respect for the original recordings.
Bluhm contributes a great deal here, layering gorgeous vocals, guitars, piano and keyboards with Dave Zirbel on Pedal Steel, Megan Lynch Chowning on Fiddle, Aidan Collins on Bass and Daryl VanDruff on Drums. From The Beach Boys-esque harmonies on “If We Make it Through December” to the funky twang of “Lord Don’t Give Up on Me”, Hag Heaven delivers on all fronts and ends far too soon. The performances speak for themselves, the quality of the recordings are top-notch and I am damn proud to have been involved.
Lead single “Am I Standing In Your Way” is the album’s opening track. “This song embodies the attitude for which I love Merle Haggard so much,” Bluhm said in a press release. “The lyrics are forlorn yet he delivers them with a steadfastness that makes you feel good. He tempers vulnerability with fortitude, and maybe even a little humor.”
Listen to Tim Bluhm on “Am I Standing In Your Way” below:
Hag Heaven Tracklist:
- Am I Standing In Your Way
- Everybody’s Had The Blues
- If We Make It Through December
- Someday We’ll Look Back
- Every Fool Has A Rainbow
- Driftwood
- Footlights
- Huntsville
- Always Wanting You
!function ($) {
window.jb_populate_livestreams_promo = function( $element ) {
let args = $element.attr( ‘data-args’ );
// set up the AJAX post data
var data = {
‘action’: ‘jb_get_livestreams_promo’,
‘args’: args,
};
console.log( data );
// make the AJAX $_POSTcall
$.ajax({
type: “POST”,
url: ajaxurl,
data: data,
success: function( response ){
if ( true == response.success ){
$element.html(response.data).slideDown(420, function(){
jbSetStreamLocalTimes();
});
// trigger Cloudinary
var evt = window.document.createEvent(‘UIEvents’);
evt.initUIEvent(‘resize’, true, false, window, 0);
window.dispatchEvent(evt);
return;
}
},
error: function( response ){
alert( response.responseText );
}
});
};
$(function(){
$(‘#livestreams-promo-container’).each( function(){
jb_populate_livestreams_promo( $(this) );
});
});
}(window.jQuery);
.house-unit-wide { display: none; }
.house-unit-narrow{ display: block; }
@media (min-width: 768px) {
.house-unit-wide { display: block; }
.house-unit-narrow{ display: none; }
}
