Calling Shooter Jennings an outlaw is a disservice to his late dad.
Waylon’s 26-year-old boy has multiple pot busts under his worn leather belt, one of which is documented in the track “Busted in Baylor County.” He walks and talks like the country-lovin’, Nashville-hatin’ Jennings-Jessi Colter offspring, just as you would expect. But regardless of his legendary heritage, the man out to “Put the O Back in Country” doesn’t stand behind his words like his dad does.
Waylon was a musical outlaw through and through. It’s largely thanks to him – and a few of his early-’70s running mates, such as Willie Nelson and Tompall Glaser – that country spawned an “Outlaw” movement.
Shooter recorded a track in the studio – the title track from his still-newish record “Put the O Back in Country” – and later decided to add canned crowd noises behind the song because, “It added an energy to it that was perfect.”
Shooter’s online biography says, “He’s subbed for Axl Rose onstage – twice – with Guns N’ Roses,” but, he admits, “Actually it was Velvet Revolver, after GN’R was over and they were looking for a new singer.”
Shooter also writes lyrics like, “Now I was born in Nashville, but I left there long ago/
‘Cos they built Music City by sacrificing soul.” But he is quick to tell you, “I don’t hate (Nashville), that’s all just a tongue-in-cheek teasing. I don’t have a bone to pick with anybody there.”
While all those caveats, qualifiers and hedged bets are typical Hollywood contradictions – normal for Nashville, even – they’re not Outlaw, and they’re far from the ideals maintained so steadfastly by his father, who died in 2002.
But while Shooter is no Outlaw, he’s still a fine artist. His country debut is a top-shelf mainstream effort that draws heavily from his Southern rock leanings. The standout track, “4th of July,” is a Skynyrd-like banger telling of endless country roads and an avid love as seen from the cockpit of an RV. The vivid storytelling is central to the record’s success, and it helps that Shooter – who sings with an aged, almost pained crack to his voice – knows his way around a killer riff or two.
As he should. Born Waylon Albright Jennings, the only son to Waylon Sr. and Jessi Colter, Shooter grew up on tour buses and in hotels. “And it sure makes it easy now,” he said. “It’s what I love. The band, we’re all buddies.” He played drums at age 5. Soon came the piano. And then he discovered the embraceable curves of a guitar.
Shooter sharpened his skills in his late teens when he moved from Nashville to Los Angeles to pursue the heavy- metal music that inspired him.
“I don’t know if it was my shying away from my heritage,” Jennings said after an Austin sound check last week. “I was just doing my own thing. Your parents are you parents, but this was a natural progression.”
Soon came Stargunn, his rock band, which made a good run on the L.A. scene for about seven years before its frontman heard his roots calling him back to the South.
“I feel like I’m playing music right now that is the most characteristic of what I like in music,” he said. “With my upbringing, it’s easy to understand it. But it took a long time when I got older to get here. And if it wasn’t for my girlfriend kicking my (butt), I wouldn’t be here.”
That girlfriend is former “Sopranos” starlet Drea de Matteo.
“She helped me,” Jennings said. “When I came out of my old band, she was instrumental in making me feel positive, like this was something I could do.”
Shooter thinks of the golden age of country, and he thinks about George Jones, who makes an appearance on the “Put the O” album. And while he isn’t naming names or pointing fingers, Jennings does have issues with Nashville.
“George Jones was one of the greatest country singers of all time,” Jennings said. “But (Nashville) has always gone after the franchised country music. Country music is blues – it’s one of those things where it’s really great and really personal, and Music City has always set out to capitalize on that. …
“I’m just saying there’s a lot of pop music going on, and that it doesn’t speak to me and my friends.”
Pop music critic Ricardo Baca can be reached at 303-820-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com.
