The Wolf  (Audio CD) 
by Shooter Jennings

It begins with an eerie bit of original autobiography called "This Ol' Wheel," as Jennings, invoking the same no-frills sound of his earlier albums, barrels through a collection of largely self-penned numbers. He invokes the waltz-tempos his dad used so effectively on "Old Friend," creatively punctuated with pedal steel and Mariachi horns. "A Little More Time on You" remains the simplest sort of country lament, even with the R&B horns. He takes another interesting detour with a rough-edged, decidedly countrified remake of Dire Straits' "Walk of Life," a tune so identified with that band and Mark Knopfler that it's difficult to imagine someone else tackling it. While Jennings doesn't surpass the original, his rendition is both effective and unique. The more pensive "Concrete Cowboys" and slicker "Blood From a Stone" is as close as he has (and likely will) come to smoothing his sound. It's true that Shooter hasn't achieved stardom close to Waylon's. Yet he's cultivated an audience by ignoring Nashville's smarmy trendiness and carving his own niche. Come to think of it, that's also what Waylon did. --Rich Kienzle