by Greg Adams The instrumental debut album by Merle Haggard's backing band, the Strangers, opens with the familiar riff from his hit "Mama Tried" before Roy Nichols' single-string electric guitar lead pops up to carry the melody in place of Haggard's vocal. Nichols' energetic and surprising guitar work dominates the album, which is similar in style and execution to the 1965 LP The Instrumental Hits of Buck Owens & His Buckaroos. Rather than rework Haggard's hits into instrumentals, the Strangers go on to cover Johnny Cash's "Tennessee Flat Top Box" and offer up a batch of originals with whimsical titles such as "Whooper Snooper" and "A Hop and a Skip." This charming album will certainly appeal to Haggard's fans, but enthusiasts of instrumental guitar albums will enjoy the confidence and sense of fun in Nichols' playing.