Shooter Jennings

Lacking both the songwriting prowess of his superstar dad and the platinum-selling croon of his Nashville superiors, Shooter Jennings has struggled to carve his own niche. The Wolf finds him twanging his way through traditional (almost stereotypical) country, despite his past forays into rock & roll territory. Jennings' previous studio effort, Electric Rodeo, was a far edgier affair, and the subsequent Live at Irving Plaza 4.18.06 showed him at his energetic best, leading a raucous bar band -- the .357s -- through electrified romps about Southern living and drug busts. Traces of that energy are evident in The Wolf's kick-off track, "This Ol' Wheel," where Jennings name-checks Johnny Cash and dismisses his critics with a kinetic country-rap delivery. His voice is confident, almost swaggering, and the track blazes with kick-stomp percussion and fiddle riffs courtesy of Doug Kershaw. Perhaps it's no coincidence that The Wolf's other standout track, "Slow Train," also features a lively cameo, this time by the Oak Ridge Boys. Jennings grew up among the heavyweights of outlaw country, a genre his father helped invent, and he sounds solid when paired with stars of a similar caliber. Still, Jennings sounds his best on ramshackle country-rock numbers that combine his pedigree with a splash of loud, distorted guitars, and there's unfortunately not enough of that here. Instead, he treats listeners to a smattering of soft country, some rootsy numbers, and several horn-laden tracks, none of this delivering the punch of the excellent "This Ol' Wheel." These other songs aren't necessarily bad, but they lack a proper person to sing them, since Jennings' unadorned vocals are better suited for a genre in which a singer's limitations can be masked by vigor, volume, and sweat. The Wolf pushes those shortcomings to the forefront, and the considerable strength with which Jennings begins the album doesn't quite sustain him until the end. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide