Shooter Jennings, son of Waylon, unearths a treasure trove of his father’s unreleased songs, polishes and presents them. Result: the first ‘new’ Waylon Jennings album in many a year. And it’s a scorcher!
Release Date: 3rd October 2025
Label: Son of Jesse/Thirty Tigers
Formats: CD / Vinyl / Digital
SONGS FROM WAYLON’S CREATIVE PEAK
There’s a story here. Back in the summer of 2024, Shooter Jennings – son of Waylon and a 3 x Grammy winner in his own right – began sifting through the multitude of personal studio recordings that his father had left behind after his 2002 death. Shooter’s initial aim was to, hopefully, unearth a lost Waylon Jennings gemstone that he could share with the world. As it turned out, he found enough ‘gemstones’ to fill three albums.
The recordings that Shooter found were laid down between 1973 and 1984 – the period that many of Waylon’s followers will recognize as the time that The Outlaw was at his creative peak.
A FEW DASHES OF POLISH
Most of the tracks were, apparently, in a finished state, with Waylon accompanied by contemporary members – including drummer Richie Albright and pedal steel guitarist Ralph Mooney – of his long-term backing band, The Waylors. Shooter and Albright nevertheless took the decision to bring available members of The Waylors back to the studio to add a dash of 21st century polish to the recordings. They also persuaded a few special guests – Tony Joe White, Jessi Colter, Elizabeth Cook and Ashley Monroe amongst them – to add a few further splashes of magic to the sound. The result is quite sensational. Songbird would, without question, pass for a lost classic-era Waylon Jennings album.
Songbird is the first of the three albums of new Waylon Jennings material that will see light of day during the coming months. The omens have never looked better and, speaking of the treasure trove that he stumbled upon, Shooter had this to say: “What became very apparent to me was that my dad was recording constantly with his band between tours. Just having won the David-and-Goliath battle with RCA for creative control and creative freedom, Waylon was awarded the ability to record his music on his terms, in his own studios, with his touring band and without any outside influence.”
Shooter continues: “This project has given me an entirely new chapter in my relationship with my father and working on this music has brought a whole new understanding about how, when and why my dad made music. The hard work is there on the tapes and the passion and the soul within is as alive today as it was the day it was recorded.”
RESPECTFUL AND COMPLIMENTARY
Songbird kicks off with its title track (and lead single). It’s Waylon’s take on the Christine McVie song and it’s an interpretation that’s both respectful and complimentary. Tasteful piano and Ralph Mooney’s exquisite pedal steel provide the backing, Waylon’s voice sounds vulnerable and world-weary – as befits the song – and Elizabeth’s and Ashley’s light-touch backing vocals are the icing on the cake.
There’s a lot of classic-sounding Waylon on Songbird and the waltz-time ballad, The Cowboy (Small Texas Town) is a prime example. Waylon is at his vocal best and the band are on fire. It is a song that would be a shoo-in for any of the Greatest Hits compilations baring Waylon’s name.
OOZES JENNINGS SWAGGER
Ralph’s pedal steel mews and howls and bluesy harmonica heightens the lazy mood of I’d Like to Love You Baby, a lovely country blues number. Waylon’s voice is restrained, without hinting at the humour in his lyrics, even as he reaches the “I’d like to love you, baby – and keep my other baby, too” punchline.
A 1-2-3-4 count-in launches I’m Gonna Lay Back With My Woman, another slice of classic Waylon. It’s another country blues offering and it oozes Jennings swagger. A couple of nice guitar solos add to the grit of the song, whilst swirling organ provides the sweetening. There’s less obvious swagger to Wrong Road Again, but the slow-paced verses, followed by the uplifting choruses represent another type of song that became a Jennings specialty. It’s one of those songs that you’ll find yourself singing along to, even when you hear it for the first time.
A SHOW-STOPPER OF A SONG
With lyrics like: “I hate to go searchin’ them bars again – pickin’ up bruises and scars again,” Waylon tells a familiar tale of how true love has lured him away from his hard-drinkin’ ways, in I Hate to Go Searchin’ Them Bars Again. Then, with a swift change of mood, he heads for more familiar territory for a heartfelt cover of Jesse Winchester’s Brand New Tennessee Waltz. Waylon’s voice is deep and rich and the harmony backing vocals are, quite simply, stunning.
Ralph’s tinkling pedal steel is the perfect match for Waylon’s sincere delivery of I Don’t Have Any More Love Songs, before the mood takes a massive upswing for the joyful, upbeat, After the Ball. It’s a song from the same stable as Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way, complete with thumping, plodding, bassline and glorious bar-room piano licks – a show-stopper of a song.
CAN WE HAVE SOME MORE, PLEASE?
Waylon has always played the part of abandoned lover with a measure of aplomb and humour and, with lines like: “I’ve had me a woman, she was long and tall. You know, she moved me just like a cannon ball,” that’s a role he reprises for closing track, Dink’s Blues. It’s a big ballad – the perfect thing to finish on – awash with lush strings and sweet harmony vocals.
Songbird is, indeed, a lost gem from Waylon Jennings’ golden period.
Can we have some more soon, please?
Watch the official video to Songbird – the album’s title track and its lead single – below:
Waylon Jennings: Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / X / YouTube
Shooter Jennings: Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / X / YouTube
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