I’d been hearing a kind
of fun and catchy tune on the radio about the 4th of July. Hadn’t
really paid any attention to who it was singing. Happened to be
flipping channels one day, and heard the tune with a video.
Started watching, and saw it was Shooter Jennings. Hmmm………I wondered.
This one is pretty good, but……..I have to admit, though, I LOVED the
title of the CD from the get go.
Those “kid or grandkid of a legend” kind of folks always make me a
little hesitant. Some are, in fact, as talented as their lineage,
some (for me anyway) are highly disappointing. I did like this
song, though, so I had some hope that he might be talented. After the
initial video sighting, I didn’t give it much more thought for awhile.
Upon perusing the Sunday paper, my spouse noticed the “Put the “O” Back
in Country” CD on sale at Best Buy for 8 bucks. You know, for 8
bucks, I decided to take the risk. After all, if it totally sucked, I
could just pass it along to someone else who would want it, or use it
for a door prize at a house concert, or give to Miss Lana for a contest
prize. And very honestly, I knew I’d be overly critical, after
all, WAYLON was WAYLON!!! (And his mom is Jessi Colter!)
Imagine my surprise to pop it in the CD player in the parking lot, and
right off the bat, I hear George Jones talking. “Well”, I thought, “at
least he’s got respect for the good ol’ timers”. That was just the
beginning.
The title track left me feeling the whole damned song was a good as the
title. The second song was “4th of July”, so we were batting a
thousand as far as I was concerned. The longer I listened, the more I realized I had found a true gem.
Is he like his daddy? Well, yes and no. Shooter is EXACTLY
like his daddy, in that he’s blazing his own trail and doing his own
stuff his own way. This CD in NO WAY sounded like trying to live
off daddy’s name. He has the same range of diversity his father
did. He excels both with the songwriting and singing of everything from
love ballad to “sure ‘nuff country”, to “throw down rock it out havin’ a
good time” music. Damn, he’s good. I mean REALLY good.
Much to my surprise, there’s not a “skip that one cuz it sucks” song on
the entire CD. I’ve played it start to finish numerous times (not many
CD’s make that level for me) and still enjoy it every time I hear it.
Be sure to hang in there for the “hidden track”!
I feel I stole it for $8, it’s worth the full price, and I highly
recommend it. Shooter is also doing a reality show on CMT, have
seen the first couple episodes, and it’s interesting to gain the
personal insight side of him in his daily life. I’ll be watching!!
I have no doubt Waylon is damned proud of Shooter. Shooter well
deserves it. To order the CD or read more about Shooter Jennings,
click here.
Lone Star Mama
Written by Dana Jones, November, 2005
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Editor's Note: I
caught part of an interview with Shooter Jennings on CMT in which he said his
daddy always told him not to try to be like anyone else...to be himself
and find his own style. I have to agree with Dana that Shooter is
Shooter as far as his music is concerned. Waylon mentored him well
in that respect. - Miss Lana
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