Shooter Jennings Albums (4)
What The Critics Say
Lacking both the songwriting prowess of his superstar dad and the platinum-selling croon of his Nashville superiors, Shooter Jennings has struggled to carve his own niche. The Wolf finds him twanging his way through traditional (almost stereotypical) country, despite his past forays into rock & roll territory. Jennings' previous studio effort, Electric Rodeo, was a far edgier affair, and the subsequent Live at Irving Plaza 4.18.06 showed him at his energetic best, leading a raucous bar band -- the .357s -- through electrified romps about Southern living and drug busts. Traces of that energy are evident in The Wolf's kick-off track, "This Ol' Wheel," where Jennings name-checks Johnny Cash and dismisses his critics with a kinetic country-rap delivery. His voice is confident, almost swaggering, and the track blazes with kick-stomp percussion and fiddle riffs courtesy of Doug Kershaw. Perhaps it's no coincidence that The Wolf's other standout track, "Slow Train," also features a lively cameo, this time by the Oak Ridge Boys. Jennings grew up among the heavyweights of outlaw country, a genre his father helped invent, and he sounds solid when paired with stars of a similar caliber. Still, Jennings sounds his best on ramshackle country-rock numbers that combine his pedigree with a splash of loud, distorted guitars, and there's unfortunately not enough of that here. Instead, he treats listeners to a smattering of soft country, some rootsy numbers, and several horn-laden tracks, none of this delivering the punch of the excellent "This Ol' Wheel." These other songs aren't necessarily bad, but they lack a proper person to sing them, since Jennings' unadorned vocals are better suited for a genre in which a singer's limitations can be masked by vigor, volume, and sweat. The Wolf pushes those shortcomings to the forefront, and the considerable strength with which Jennings begins the album doesn't quite sustain him until the end. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
'Live at Irving Plaza 4.18.06'
Release Date 10/10/2006
Tracks 11
Label Universal South
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What The Critics Say
Shooter Jennings may not be a household name yet, the way his late daddy Waylon is, but he can rock the house and turn it inside out just as well. This 11-cut set was recorded for a Sirius Radio broadcast in the Outlaw Country series -- hosted by Jennings -- at Irving Plaza in New York City. It offers ample evidence that Jennings is a rocker who loves country music; not the other way around. Hell, Kid Rock loves country too so what's the big deal? Jennings adheres to no system, no trend, no set of rules; his .357's make the competition -- from Kenny Chesney's to Steve Earle's Dukes -- sound like pretenders. Jennings rubs people the wrong way, and given this over the top set -- introduced by none other than Little Steven -- it's easy to understand why. This is outlaw music with a capital "O." It may end up taking off, and if it does, it will be because he toured with rock & roll acts, not more subdued country artists -- Drive-By Truckers and Tim McGraw's Dancehall Doctors excepted -- although the latter might grant him the Nash Vegas introduction and acceptance he actually needs to succeed in that stilted music biz town. Rock audiences will completely get Jennings and his no BS approach to making music. Take the perfect fusion of country and balls-out rock on "Gone to Carolina," a ballad that just erupts into a guitar blast. "Busted in Baylor County" is a rollicking account of a drug bust in Texas after the band played its third gig, and digs into Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf," in the bridge. Yet all the hard rock careening doesn't detract from the fact that Jennings and the .357's can play country. Just check out "Lonesome Blues" and the honky tonk "Manifesto No. 2," or the garage rock-meets-honky tonk "Manifesto No. 1" and the acoustically announced "It Ain't Easy," and you'll hear not only a pedigree but an artist. Add the burning "Steady at the Wheel," and the slow tempo but over-the-top rock of "Daddy's Farm," and the show seems surreal but exhilarating, a trip into some zone that Waylon & Willie or Hank Jr. never even envisaged, but it's there. Jennings and his band may be raw, ramshackle, and garagey, but they know how to do it right. This baby smokes, offering live evidence of what the studio albums only hint at. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Electric Rodeo'
Release Date 4/4/2006
Tracks 11
Label Universal South
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
In a recent interview, Shooter Jennings claimed that Electric Rodeo was actually recorded before Put the "O" Back in Country, which was released first. Sonically, Electric Rodeo is louder, rawer, more upfront rock & roll than its predecessor, though there are solid, old-school country tunes here as well: the wild fiddle stomp of "Manifesto No. 2," and the broken love song "Aviators," with its spoken word intro and whinnying pedal steel. But as the title suggests, for the most part, Electric Rodeo is a hardcore, roaring country-rock record. Jennings' band -- Leroy Powell on guitar, Brian Keeling on drums, and Ted Kamp on bass with Robby Turner on steel, and backing vocals by no less than Bonnie Bramlett -- are a crack crew. They swagger and slither and stomp, but they know how to whisper, too. On tracks such as the title, "Little White Lines," "Bad Magick," and the jet-propelled swamp funk of "Alligator Chomp" -- with a guest vocal by Tony Joe White -- Jennings uses angular Texas blues, hard rock/arena rock dynamics -- complete with Mac Truck volume guitars -- tight, big whomp drums, and the almighty riff to get his hell-raising message across. There are also some more outlaw country-styled cuts such as "It Ain't Easy," "Goin' to Carolina," "Some Rowdy Women," "The Song Is Still Slipping Away," and "Hair of the Dog." They recall the brand of historic country music Jennings' father helped to pioneer in the 1970s. The term "outlaw" is simply a musically descriptive word now; it's not meant to be a millstone around Shooter's neck -- even though he directly references Waylon often (and let's face it, if anyone has a right to do that, it's him). Electric Rodeo is solid; it's full of ragged road poetry, defiant rowdyism, and restless, rust-stained, country-soul, with plenty of its own charisma. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Put the O Back in Country'
Release Date 3/1/2005
Tracks 11
Label Universal South
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Shooter Jennings is the son of the late Waylon. This is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that because of his pedigree people will take the opportunity to check him out. The curse is that the comparison factor is inevitable and unfair. And since birthright is unavoidable here, we'll get this out of the way straight up: this is modern-day outlaw country music. This is rockin' country music. The title track goes a little far in terms of stressing its point -- including getting George Jones to slur his way through some introductory words. The very next cut, "4th of July" contains the same kind of pumped-up guitar-slinging grittiness and glory that the original outlaws did. It's loud, and has a killer hook and near-chanted refrain. "Lonesome Blues" is pure Texas country -- drawling, slow, full of pain and pathos. And so it goes. Jennings can write songs. The best of them, like the aforementioned "4th of July" is a quintessential Southern rocker; the acoustic "Sweet Savannah" and electric "The Letter" are fine busted love ballads that tell full-on stories, dig deep into country archetypes, and have fine choruses and hooks that are timeless. "Southern Comfort" sounds like a dead cross between Lynyrd Skynyrd's more laid-back moments and an outtake from Chris Whitley's Living with the Law, and features a backing chorus of Mom Jessi Colter, Faith Evans, and Cece White! In Jennings' singing voice there is the trace of his father's grain, but in his music he is unruly and fiercely independent; that's a compliment more than a comparison. This is a fine debut album. It has a miss here and there, but it's got soul and grit, and displays its creator's wealth of talent. Recommended. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
