Waylon Jennings Soars Again with the Masterful ‘Songbird’

When music lovers hear about an album of material from an artist who has long since passed, you fear it will be music that simply wasn't good enough. Yes, hearing the voice of Waylon Jennings is cool, but do the songs hold up to his high standards? The new album 'Songbird' bucks that trend and is one of the best country releases of the year.

This isn't AI creating new Waylon Jennings music. This is the real deal. Waylon's son Shooter compiled and mixed these fully recorded songs from his father, originally recorded between 1973 and 1984, according to Country Town. To flesh out the songs, Shooter would bring in surviving members of Jennings's old band, the Waylors, and current country singers Elizabeth Cook and Ashley Monroe for subtle background vocals on the title track.

What you get is an album that reminds you of the peak of 70s country music, an era of pedal steel and fiddles, and artists like Waylon Jennings ruled the genre. Waylon's earthy, rich voice sings the songs with ease. It is comfort music for any country fan's ears.

Some of the standout covers include Fleetwood Mac's 'Songbird', Johnny Cash's 'After the Ball', and Hank Williams Jr's 'I Don't Have Any More Love Songs'. The entire album flows seamlessly from start to finish, leaving the listener wanting more. You can tell that Shooter took great care in crafting this album. The legacy of his father matters.

And that's the best part. Shooter has confirmed that this is just the first of three albums of 'new' material from Waylon. Great news for country music and Waylon Jennings fans. Dive in and enjoy one of the best country albums of this year, or any other for that matter!