An Outlaw...A Lady: The Very Best of Jessi Colter

1	You Mean To Say
2	Suspicious Minds / Waylon Jennings
3	Under Your Spell Again / Waylon Jennings
4	I'm Not Lisa
5	What's Happened To Blue Eyes
6	You Ain't Ever Been Loved (Like I'm Gonna Love You)
7	Storms Never Last
8	It's Morning (And I Still Love You)
9	Without You
10	Here I Am
11	I Belong To Him
12	New Wine
13	I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name
14	You Hung The Moon (Didn't You Waylon?)
15	Maybe You Should've Been Listening
16	That's The Way A Cowboy Rocks and Rolls
17	Hold Back The Tears
18	Wild Side of Life / It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels / Waylon Jennings

Barnes & Noble

Back in country music's Outlaw era, it seemed as if the only artists on the map were men. But a few women made their mark, and one of the most intriguing was Jessi Colter, who was Outlaw Waylon Jennings's wife but was also an affecting vocalist and a writer with something to say. Her songs reveal a penetrating insight into the little things that make or break a relationship, and that trembling voice -- here's the prototype for Iris DeMent -- reveals layer upon layer of vulnerability as it caresses a lyric. Although she's kept a low profile for many years, Colter's finest moments have stood the test of time, and the traditional framework for those messages sounds right on time. This 18-song collection includes 10 of her charting singles, including her most enduring song, the chart-topping "I'm Not Lisa," as searing but subtle an account of mistaken identity as you're likely to find in song. Colter shows off a swinging, bluesy side on the suggestive, low-down grinder "You Ain't Never Been Loved (Like I'm Gonna Love You)" and a heartbreaking touch with a honky-tonk weeper on the classically styled "I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name." Waylon shows up three times on the disc, mating his burly baritone to Colter's tender tones on a churning cover of "Suspicious Minds," adding a dash of erotic urgency to the driving "Under Your Spell Again," and keeping the traditional faith with his spouse on a beautiful honky-tonk medley of the classics "Wild Side of Life/It Wasn't God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels." This set's a solid reminder of the good work Colter did in her prime, and an effective setup for a forthcoming, long-anticipated new album. David McGee

All Music Guide

An Outlaw...a Lady: The Very Best of Jessi Colter is a long-overdue full-length compilation of Colter's most popular recordings of the 1970s and '80s. Among its 18 tracks are nine of her ten Top 50 country hits, including two licensed from RCA Victor, "Suspicious Minds" and "Under Your Spell Again," both duets with her husband, Waylon Jennings. (A third RCA hit with Jennings, "Storms Never Last," is presented here in Colter's solo recording of the song for Capitol.) The country Top Ten medley of the 1952 country hits "Wild Side of Life/It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" (the two songs conveniently have the same melody) is another duet with Jennings, and then there is the number one country/number four pop signature song "I'm Not Lisa" and its number five country follow-up, "What's Happened to Blue Eyes," plus the down-chart country hits "It's Morning (And I Still Love You)," "Without You," "I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name," and "Maybe You Should've Been Listening." The collection is filled out with key album tracks such as "You Mean to Say," a third RCA licensing, from the breakthrough album The Outlaws, "You Ain't Ever Been Loved (Like I'm Gonna Love You)" from I'm Jessi Colter, "Here I Am" from Jessi, and "You Hung the Moon (Didn't You Waylon?)" from Diamonds in the Rough. The result is an excellent overview of Colter's recording career that emphasizes both her sensitive way with a heartbreaking ballad and her facility with more up-tempo material. William Ruhlmann