The first installment of a planned multi-part tribute to
Waylon Jennings spearheaded by his son
Shooter and widow
Jessi Colter, The Music Inside: A Collaboration Dedicated to Waylon Jennings aims to be more than a standard tribute album.
Shooter and
Jessi have rounded up an impressive stable of friends, peers, and followers, finding space for a duet between
Kris Kristofferson and
Patty Griffin, a slot by
Alabama, some room for the outlaw heir
Jamey Johnson, and a cut by
John Hiatt. The latter’s “Just to Satisfy You” finds
Hiatt duetting with an old recording of
Waylon, who also appears on his own with “Go Down Rockin’,” an OK outtake. The artists don’t stick too closely to the originals -- only
Alabama follow
Waylon’s blueprint on their “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way” -- but they’re mild reinterpretations. The Music Inside, Vol. 1 is a perfectly adequate tribute: it’s entertaining enough and serves the purpose of driving people back to the original albums. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine