Good Dog, Happy Man

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[3]

JazzTimes called the album "the latest, logical extension in the saga of Frisell’s maturing voice." and summarized; "Triads galore, sweet tunes, organic funkiness, and a general laconic grace keep the music rooted, while also searching. What else could we ask for? Good Dog, Happy Man is a recording full of gentle things, bolstered by innate smarts and rugged musicality.^[4] The Allmusic review by Richard S. Ginell awarded the album 4 stars, stating, "Again, Frisell often captures a loose, evolutionary jamming quality in these sessions, playing the country accents off of his jazz sensibilities. Unlike its predecessor, though, you can't imagine this being recorded on a backwoods front porch, for there are some production tricks and distant-sounding electronic loops that give away its Burbank studio origins. Purists on either side of the jazz/country divide are hereby warned to back off so that the rest of us can enjoy this".^[2]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]

All compositions by Bill Frisell except as indicated.

1. "Rain, Rain" – 2:45
2. "Roscoe" – 3:43
3. "Big Shoe" – 3:49
4. "My Buffalo Girl" – 8:50
5. "Shenandoah" – for Johnny Smith (Traditional) – 6:09
6. "Cadillac 1959" – 6:16
7. "The Pioneers" – 5:16
8. "Cold, Cold Ground" – 9:01
9. "That Was Then" – 5:29
10. "Monroe" – 4:19
11. "Good Dog, Happy Man" – 2:33
12. "Poem For Eva" – 3:41

• Bill Frisell – electric and acoustic guitars, loops and music boxes
• Greg Leisz – pedal steel, Dobro, lap steel, Weissenborn, National steel guitar and mandolin
• Wayne Horvitz – organ, piano, samples
• Viktor Krauss – bass
• Jim Keltner – drums and percussion
• Ry Cooder (5) – guitar