Featuring Merle Haggard and his second wife, Bonnie Owens, 1966's JUST BETWEEN THE TWO OF US is a stunningly successful collaboration, featuring a sparkling collection of traditional country love and heartbreak songs. The album's wildly successful title track had spent some months on the country charts before it was replaced by Haggard's first hit record, "(My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers." The pristine production highlights the duo's ideally matched vocals on material ranging from the beautiful "Our Hearts Are Holding Hands" to the rueful breakup song, "Just Between the Two of Us." Haggard's voice here shows the strong influence of fellow Bakersfield musician (and Bonnie's ex-husband) Buck Owens, particularly on the classic Bakersfield cut, "Slowly But Surely," while Bonnie's feisty vocals more than hold their own.
Professional Reviews
Uncut (5/04, p.109) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Merle gets suitably country-tough on superior 1970 live-in Philly effort FIGHTIN' SIDE OF ME..."
