Description
It comes as little surprise that McNally, a long time fan, has finally got around to honoring Jennings with a disc dedicated to highlights and a few obscurities from his catalog.
These 13 tunes range from standards every country fan knows, to more obscure gems she dusted off. More than just great Jennings songs, they reflect his diverse style and the dusky purity of his unvarnished approach to country music. The sweet ballad ‘We Had It All’, allows McNally to display her subtle and never overindulgent singing with an honesty and warmth that characterized Jennings at his finest. Conversely, she gets frisky on ‘You Show Me Yours and I’ll Show You Mine with Lukas Nelson. She even rocks out with a thumping, galloping version of Rodney Crowell’s ‘Ain’t Living Long Like This’ as Crowell himself trades lead and harmony vocals.
Elsewhere, guests Buddy Miller , and Jennings’ own wife Jesse Colter keep the Waylon flames burning on wonderful performances; perhaps encouraging listeners not familiar with the originals to compare and contrast them with McNally’s versions. What they’ll find in every case is how respectfully the singer has interpreted this material and the classy way she injects her persona into the tracks.
McNally’s handpicked band includes Marty Stuart sidemen Kenny Vaughan on guitar and Chris Scuggs on bass, along with longtime Waylon band member Fred Newell (pedal steel and other guitars) who helps enormously. They find the sweet spot, replicating Waylon’s music with integrity yet infusing enough rootsy rawness to show their reverence.
