Waylon Jennings
Love Songs

(RCA/Legacy)

First Appeared in The Music Box, May 2005, Volume 12, #5

Written by John Metzger

As the late ’60s mutated into the early ’70s, sensitive singer-songwriters commandeered the music business and received ample opportunity to promote their introspective musings. Even rough and rowdy outlaw Waylon Jennings scored quite a few hits by exploring more sentimental avenues — Dreaming My Dreams with You, The Wurlitzer Prize (I Don’t Want to Get Over You), Amanda, and Come with Me, among them — and he filled his albums with countless other tunes that were cut from the same cloth. In assembling 14 tracks that were recorded by the legendary country artist between 1972 and 1992, the recently released compilation Love Songs emphasizes this aspect of Jennings’ work.  Mixing songs that exude tender-hearted affection (Yours Love and You Ask Me To) with those that relay anguished tales of heartache (It’s Not Supposed to Be that Way and We Had It All), the set is poignantly resonant, particularly because his grizzled vocals so perfectly bend each lyric into a rainbow of emotional residue. Although Jennings’ Love Songs never quite achieves the lofty status of a comprehensive, greatest hits-style collection, it’s still a worthwhile endeavor, especially for those seeking a more concise career retrospective. ½

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Ratings

1 Star:   Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2005 The Music Box