The national primary season keeps building and building for the presidential election, but I’m declaring one vote closed. Finished. The end.

As a result, my copy of “The Bluegrass Sessions” by Merle Haggard will be filed with my bluegrass CDs and not my extensive collection of the Hag’s traditional country CDs. By a 19-15 vote count, you gave me some direction to do so, but frankly, my mind had been made up.

If you’ll recall, some anonymous committee, without giving any reasons, made a ruling shortly after the CD was released that it could not be considered under the bluegrass division of this year’s Grammy awards. The ruling created an uproar in some circles, including the good folks at McCoury Music Inc. and Hag Records, who jointly released the CD.

Call it what you want, but, please, call it good music, well-made music, as one might expect from Haggard himself, not to mention his not-too-wimpy cast of session pickers. They include Marty Stuart, Rob Ickes, Charlie Cushman, Aubrey Haynie, Ben Isaacs and Carl Jackson doing a bulk of the harmony vocal work. Did I mention Alison Krauss? Or producer Ronnie Reno? How can you read that list of names and not think bluegrass?

OK, I’m really going to turn to near blasphemy here, but you know the one thing I really missed on “The Bluegrass Sessions?” A bit, just a tiny bit perhaps, of Haggard’s fine electric guitar work. (Yeah, that’s right, I said ELECTRIC GUITAR.)

Had Haggard been brave enough to try a little chicken pickin’ on this CD, it would have definitely robbed it of any chance of anyone ever considering it “bluegrass,” regardless of the title. Never mind that bluegrass and banjo icon J.D. Crowe seems to favor a bit of electric steel guitar on his CDs. And you know what? For Crowe, it works, usually pretty darn well. As would a bit of the Hag’s Fender benders on his CD.

I’m still sticking to my original review of this CD and calling it a darn fine piece of work — for both fans of Haggard and fans of bluegrass. Don’t get the jitters, there’s room for both — and definitely room to be both.

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Tim Hensley

Tim Hensley will be chatting on www.worldwidebluegrass.com tomorrow, Friday, January 18th at 12:00 pm CST / 1:00 PM EST.

Host, Gracie Muldoon will be talking with Tim live and spinning songs from his new album, “Long Monday” (Rural Rhythm/Blue Chair) that is scheduled to be released January 29th.

The first single, “Ridin’ Out the Storm” has been released as the first single off the album and has been receiving a great response from bluegrass radio. Prime Cuts of Bluegrass has the singlecurrently sitting in the number 3 spot in the National Bluegrass Music Programmers top 5.

Please join the chat room during the interview at www.worldwidebluegrass.co.

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