The sun is setting on a warm day, you're driving down a country road, going a little faster than you should be. The windows of your pickup truck are open, your trusty canine is hanging his head out of one watching as the trees go by. The aroma of unfiltered cigarettes fills the cab as you adjust your cowboy hat to shield your eyes from the bright orange ball in the sky.
You just got out of work, bought Jimbo's party store out of all its Busch beer and are headed to the boondocks for some good ol' four wheeling, bonfires and bottle rockets. With your only goal being to have a good time, you turn on the radio to a classic country station and hear the following:
"Ladies we surely will take of your favors/And we'll surely warn you there never will be/ A single soul living that could put brand or handle/On Willie the wandering gypsy and me."
Well, that's it. You just felt freedom. There aren't too many things in this world that make you feel as good as listening to Waylon Jennings' 1973 release "Honky Tonk Heroes."
The album is a sublime mixture of outlaw country, blues and rock - but there's more to it than the music.
The majority of the album's 11 different songs were written by American guitarist Billy Joe Shaver and they deal with - what else - drinkin', women, trains, prison, mama, fightin' and trucks. But beyond the hard country boy image, the music created by Jennings and Shaver is pure songwriting genius.
Opening with a country-blues riff, "Slow Rollin' Low" is one of the best songs on the album, with toe tappin' blues harp solos by popular Texas-based harmonica accompanist Don Brooks. Jennings' voice catches you and envelopes you in its deep, distinct tones - and the best thing about the album, it flows smooth like Tennessee whiskey from start to finish, keeping you in a zone.
For those of you who have listened to a great deal of Jennings in your lifetime, not only have you been saved, you've probably noticed that while listening to it, you're thrown into a different world. It's a world without worry, without stress, without anger, without depression - it's a world that is sincere, open, honest and absolutely wild.
That feeling you get when you don't know where you're going, don't care where you're going, but are having a good time on the way, that's what Honky Tonk Heroes is all about.
Lost love is another hot topic for Jennings and Shaver, and the most interesting aspect of those lyrics is they blame themselves for their troubles.
The song "Low Down Freedom" tells of a vagabond who is a heartbreaker, loving and leaving as he wanders town to town to keep himself from feeling any pain.
If you've never heard any of Jennings' music before, here's a good place to start. MSU needs more honky tonk heroes, cowboys and gypsies.
