The latest roots CD reviewed

WAYLON JENNINGS

Waylon Forever Vagrant Records★★★

Waylon Jennings casts a giant shadow over Nashville. He was an outlaw who disliked being called one. This short album is allegedly his final collection, with his performance enhanced by producer son Shooter and his band the 367s. Jennings was quite ill at the time so his deep baritone is not always in the best of condition, being particularly fragile on Outlaw Shit, though he has no problem whipping up a storm on Rodney Crowell's Ain't Living Long Like This. This southern-fried rock, meaty, greasy and lots of it, predominates, with the mix softened by the occasional roughly hewn ballad. Nonetheless, it's an interesting collection made all the more so by the inclusion of a version of Cream's White Room. www.waylon.com

Download tracks: Ain't Livin' Long Like This, Outlaw Shit

JOE BREEN