Love Songs

Performer: Waylon Jennings
Artist: Jessi Colter
Producer: Chet Atkins; Ronny Light; Waylon Jennings; Chips Moman; Jerry Bridges; Jack Scruggs; Jack Clement; Richie Albright; Ron Haffkine; Willie Nelson; Ken Mansfield; Chet Atkins; Ronny Light; Waylon Jennings; Rob Santos (Compilation)
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: Waylon Jennings is known first and foremost as the king of Outlaw Country, the man whose rebellious image and rough-and-ready, rock-influenced sound changed the face of country music in the 1970s. As LOVE SONGS makes clear, though, that doesn't mean he entirely eschewed the world of romance. Like any country singer worth his boots, Waylon did plenty of singing about the ladies. Even on his classic '70s albums (many of which are represented here), there was always a love song or two tucked away amid the rabble-rousers, such as the elegantly simple "You Ask Me To," from his career-making HONKY TONK HEROES, and the poignant Hank Williams tune "Let's Turn Back the Years," from the equally definitive DREAMING MY DREAMS. For the good of all concerned, LOVE SONGS largely avoids dipping into Jennings's often-inconsistent '80s work, focusing instead on the juicier portions of his catalogue, and presenting a seldom-considered side to the man who made it cool to be an outlaw again.

Texan country singer Waylon Jennings was always a bit of a rocker. Early on, he played bass with Buddy Holly, and his first solo records included Beatles covers, highly unusual for a country artist at the time. Jennings was one of the key figures of the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, rejecting the lush countrypolitan sound in favor of a raw, electrified approach that owed more to the Rolling Stones than to Billy Sherrill. With a small band and simple arrangements, Jennings introduced contemporary rock-oriented grooves into his hard-hitting country sound, adding some funky grit to common-man poetics on tunes about the tougher side of life. He inspired a subsequent generation of country iconoclasts, and spurred on contemporaries like Willie Nelson and Tompall Glaser.

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