Put the O Back in Country

1	Put the O Back in Country 3:25
2	4th of July 4:26
3	Lonesome Blues 4:00
4	Solid Country Gold 3:05
5	Busted in Baylor County 3:53
6	Sweet Savannah 4:09
7	Steady at the Wheel 2:57
8	Manifesto No. 1 3:09
9	The Letter 3:32
10	Southern Comfort 5:49
11	Daddy's Farm 8:19

Barnes & Noble

Put the "O" Back in Country is comparable to such watershed country-rock moments as the release of Steve Earle's Guitar Town in 1986 or Kris Kristofferson's emergence in 1969 -- that is to say, the writing is brutally honest and personal, colloquial and poetic all at once, and by turns humorous, self-deprecating, openhearted, and spiritually yearning. The music, played by a basic quartet (featuring organ) and fleshed out by pedal steel and fiddle, embraces Shooter's dad, Waylon's, definition of hard country and advances it into the rock-informed province of Springsteen and the E Streeters, early Lynyrd Skynyrd, Steve Earle & the Dukes, and even early Leon Russell. An overpowering, gospel-drenched distaff trio of singers (including mom Jessi Colter) underscores the pointed torching of L.A.'s mind- and soul-numbing culture in "Southern Comfort." The music rises to majestic rock 'n' roll fury on "4th of July," an ode to the road, and roars in homage to the spirit of Skynyrd in the snarling "Daddy's Farm." The mood turns inward and poignant on an unlisted bonus track, "My Song for You," with Jennings accompanying himself on piano; his voice is unadorned, gritty, and expressive, with a synth wash humming hymn-like behind him -- a bit of lacerating introspection suggestive a Jackson Browne classic on the order of "These Days." From this pastiche of styles and sensibilities, Shooter Jennings has fashioned a magnificent personal statement. David McGee

All Music Guide

Shooter Jennings is the son of the late Waylon. This is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that because of his pedigree people will take the opportunity to check him out. The curse is that the comparison factor is inevitable and unfair. And since birthright is unavoidable here, we'll get this out of the way straight up: this is modern-day outlaw country music. This is rockin' country music. The title track goes a little far in terms of stressing its point -- including getting George Jones to slur his way through some introductory words. The very next cut, "4th of July" contains the same kind of pumped-up guitar-slinging grittiness and glory that the original outlaws did. It's loud, and has a killer hook and near-chanted refrain. "Lonesome Blues" is pure Texas country -- drawling, slow, full of pain and pathos. And so it goes. Jennings can write songs. The best of them, like the aforementioned "4th of July" is a quintessential Southern rocker; the acoustic "Sweet Savannah" and electric "The Letter" are fine busted love ballads that tell full-on stories, dig deep into country archetypes, and have fine choruses and hooks that are timeless. "Southern Comfort" sounds like a dead cross between Lynyrd Skynyrd's more laid-back moments and an outtake from Chris Whitley's Living with the Law, and features a backing chorus of Mom Jessi Colter, Faith Evans, and Cece White! In Jennings' singing voice there is the trace of his father's grain, but in his music he is unruly and fiercely independent; that's a compliment more than a comparison. This is a fine debut album. It has a miss here and there, but it's got soul and grit, and displays its creator's wealth of talent. Recommended. Thom Jurek