Lonesome, On'ry and Mean: A Tribute to Waylon Jennings

1	Good Hearted Woman / Guy Clark 3:07
2	You Asked Me To / Nanci Griffith 3:01
3	Amanda / Dave Alvin 4:20
4	Wurlitzer Prize, (I Don't Want to Get Over You) / Norah Jones 2:39
5	Let's All Help the Cowboys (Sing the Blues) / Jack Clement 3:05
6	Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line / John Doe 2:52
7	Nashville Rebel / Junior Brown 2:36
8	Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way / Robert Earl Keen Jr. 4:14
9	I've Always Been Crazy / Carlene Carter 3:23
10	Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) / Radney Foster 4:29
11	Storms Never Last / Allison Moorer 4:29
12	I Do Believe / Kris Kristofferson 3:27
13	Lock, Stock and Teardrops / Alejandro Escovedo 2:43
14	Waymore's Blues / The Crickets 3:15
15	Lonesome, On'ry and Mean / Henry Rollins 2:53

Barnes & Noble

A tribute album to the quintessential Outlaw needs no explanation or justification: It's the right thing to do. Acknowledging the master's inimitable style, this assemblage of artists keeps it spare, simple, and close to the bone. The guest list runs the gamut from Waylon's Texas podnah Guy Clark, who ambles through "Good Hearted Woman," to punk poet Henry Rollins, who growls out "Lonesome, On'ry and Mean" as the music rumbles and roars like an out-of-control freight train. A wry, lilting version of "Let's All Help the Cowboys Sing the Blues" by Cowboy Jack Clement gains a little honky-tonk heartache when Pam Tillis shows up. Another redoubtable Texas boy, Radney Foster, teams with Roger Creager to take on a Waylon monument, the timeless "Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)," and their dreamy, languorous version evokes the endless West Texas vistas of Jennings's raising. Check your heart before Allison Moorer digs into "Storms Never Last," because her blue-eyed soul emoting will absolutely break that vital organ. The Crickets pay homage to their buddy on a down-home "Waymore's Blues," and the likes of Dave Alvin, John Doe, Robert Earl Keen, Kris Kristofferson, Nanci Griffith, Alejandro Escovedo, and Junior Brown acquit themselves well. A couple of unquestioned highlights: six-time Grammy winner Norah Jones delivering a simply beautiful love ballad, "Wurlitzer Prize (I Don't Want to Get Over You)," in hushed, jazzy tones, accompanied by acoustic guitar and piano; and Carlene Carter back on the active list with a ferocious version of "I've Always Been Crazy" that seems to be her explanation for the horrific events in her recent life. Lock, stock, and teardrops, this one's bound to make ol' Waylon smile up there. David McGee

All Music Guide

Tribute albums are the way many listeners are introduced to veteran artists, and 2003's Lonesome, On'ry and Mean: A Tribute to Waylon Jennings -- released roughly a year after Jennings' death -- serves as an introduction and tribute to one of the greats of both country music and American popular music in the 20th century. Some of the songs are performed by Waylon colleagues (Kris Kristofferson on "I Do Believe") or designed as replicas (Junior Brown's "Nashville Rebel") or even sung by their songwriters (Jack Clement's "Let's All Help the Cowboys [Sing the Blues]"). There's no shortage of love for Waylon here. Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Entertainment Weekly

Perfect for melancholy night drives. (B+) Jeff Ousborne