. . . "This collection of Merle Haggard hits merely scratches the surface of the Bakersfield singer's prolific output, but with songs like the redneck anthem Okie From Muskogee, which earned the ex-convict a pardon from Ronald Reagan, the prison lament Sing Me Back Home, covered by artists including the Flying Burrito Brothers, and the bad boy classic Mama Tried, it is still a superlative set." .