Following in the marketing footsteps of Columbia/Legacy's 2000 thematic
Johnny Cash releases (Murder, Love, God), Capitol Records gave
Merle Haggard's back catalog a similar treatment in 2001 with four separate installments:
Hurtin',
Drinkin',
Prison, and
Cheatin'. While it's impossible to narrow
Haggard's
Prison songs down to ten, the compilers did an admiral job mixing a few of the obvious hits ("Mama Tried," "Sing Me Back Home," "I'm a Lonesome Fugitive," and "Branded Man") with similarly themed songs that fell through the cracks -- great tunes but not necessarily hits. The cover art could be a bit snazzier, but still, this is a decent mid-line set. In fact, all four discs are recommended, and as it states on the back cover, "Collect all four and enjoy the pain." ~ Al Campbell