The Project MayHAM Review......

....Shooter Jennings & Heirophant: Black Ribbons


Before I get started….

I HATE modern pop country music. With a passion… Sure.. Some of these assholes have some talent. But the music has no soul… No real heart…There is nothing going on there. It’s dried up, washed out, saccharine, horseshit.. And it certainly is not, under any circumstances “country”…. it’s pop music with the occasional steel guitar…. Garbage. Even the fuck bags they try to sell as “Outlaw Country” are nothing but a bunch of fucking posers. Yes, I’m talking about YOU, Toby Keith… (The jury is still out on Jamey Johnson. Let’s hear the next record before I pass judgment on him…)
Anything decent in the country music genre is underground. The artists carrying on the tradition of real country music legends like Cash, Williams, Kristofferson, Jones, Coe, Jennings, Nelson , Haggard etc… you rarely, if ever, hear about…. Hank Williams III, Wayne Hancock, Those Poor Bastards… The true outlaws don’t fit in with the cookie-cutter, made for radio trash. They carve their own path. They sing about shit that makes people feel. They have opinions that challenge. To hell with what’s popular, and fuck what you think. They do it their way… the right way.. That mindset is what made the esteemed group of artists listed above so revered… And country radio wants no part of that in this day and age.. So they get little to no mainstream exposure…Fuck, even the goddamn Dixie Chicks got swept under the rug when they spoke out of turn.

I grew up with my father getting wasted and cranking Waylon Jennings every day. As I got older, I followed suit... So, naturally, when I heard his kid, Shooter Jennings, was following the “Family Tradition” (a la’ Hank III).. I was immediately intrigued.. I was only slightly aware of his previous rock band Stargunn, and after hearing them do a decent cover of I’ve Always Been Crazy, lets just say I wasn’t exactly scouring the internet looking for their material. Good stuff, but nothing to write home about…. Then, like a light switch, Shooter decided that he’d “go back to his country roots” and he came out with Put The O Back In Country.. Excellent record. Without question. A little slick… But he got the point across. The attitude was there. I became a fan… When the follow up (Electric Rodeo) was released, I was a tad disappointed. Shooter seemed to be trying to do two things : First, he seemed to be moving away from the old school “outlaw” country vibe that initially attracted me to his music into a more pop-rock-country (hit driven) direction, (demonstrated by the lead single Gone To Carolina, which, musically, is a direct lift of Wanted Dead Or Alive) and second… He seemed to be moving closer to what the mainstream country audience was looking for… He was starting to sacrifice soul for accessibility … Even if some of the songs on the album were among his best ( Little White Lines, The Song Is Still Slipping Away) I figured it was only going to go downhill from there. Had I actually given that record an open minded listen, I probably wouldn’t have done what I did next….

It was, at this point that I very wrongly and unfairly wrote Shooter Jennings off. I didn’t even give The Wolf the time of day. It’s a shame, really… In hindsight, it really is a well written, bad ass southern rock/ country album. I also took to heart some negative comments made by one Hank Williams III, whom I consider to be the torch bearer for real country music. Thinking about it now, it seems a little ridiculous that Hank basically accused Shooter of riding his daddy’s legacy all the way to the bank… But anyway… moving on……


I was very sketched out when I heard through the grapevine that Shooter was abandoning country music altogether. But out of morbid curiosity, I kept an eyeball out for new shit. I didn’t expect anything good.
That opinion didn’t change when Shooter appeared on The Alex Jones Show and premiered a new track (Wake Up). What the fuck is THIS? I thought…This is the weirdest fucking shit ever… I hate it…..
It was an atypical close-minded gut reaction that I quickly abandoned when I caught a live version of Black Ribbons on YouTube…. That song blew me the fuck AWAY…. Maybe the kid is on to something. Now, I was actually looking forward to the record. I HAD to hear more. I went back and listened to Wake Up with fresh ears, and my mind started to wrap around it. Lyrically, I was in love immediately… It was right up my ally….

Anyway… Fast forward to release day. By this point, I am chomping at the bit for this gem. And when I began playing it, words cannot describe the majestic perfection of this album. It’s very rare that an album has this much of an immediate impact on me. I was speechless until the third or fourth listen. It’s THAT good…. Be very aware that this is a concept record. And, before you ask, it is NOT country.. It’s music. This masterpiece defies conventional genre labeling. If the thought turns you off, it may be because it hasn’t been done well in a looooong time. It requires complete immersion into the story that’s being told or it will not have the same effect. Open your ears… Open your mind… and let this album take you away….

1. Wake Up.. Is a bit of a shock, initially. And it’s supremely indicative as to what to expect from the rest of the CD. In other words, you really have no idea what to expect. If you had any idea what to expect, that would make us cunts. Are you calling us cunts?

3.Triskaidekaphobia… Smooth and original… Lots of shit going on but mixed perfectly. Nothing sounds out of place.. Great song..

4. Don’t Feed The Animals… Ahhh the magical combination of Stone Temple Pilots and Nine Inch Nails…. With a modern southern edge. Money…

5. The Breaking Point… The gifted songwriting is in full effect here. There ain’t a bad note played on this mother fucker, either... Allman Brothers, eat your heart out.

7. Everything Else Is Illusion… Now… This song may be a test of faith to begin with. This is where I have to repeat that it’s very necessary to listen to this whole record front to back with no distractions.. It fits right in with the Hierophant “Mythology” presented by Will O‘ The Wisp (Stephen King).. Futuristic Southern Rock… Lyrically it is phenomenally profound.. “Love is the only truth… Everything else is illusion”.. It may not hit you on the first listen, but I promise you it will…

8. God Bless Alabama… Good solid country/ southern rock song with a modern/ retro vibe…. This is as close to “country” you’re gonna hear on this album. And to call this country would be a huge stretch. But a beautiful song nonetheless…

9. All Of This Could Have Been Yours…. This song made my entire world come a-crumbling down…
It starts off with the best, most heart wrenching piano “riff” that Trent Reznor never wrote… “I had a cure for your disease.. But you threw it away”… When the rhythm section kicks in and knocks you on your ass… You’ll know what I‘m saying. Any doubt I had about Shooter’s brilliance came to an abrupt end by the end of this song… And it defies description… I hear EVERYTHING in here… If I ever start a band… We WILL cover this song… Heavy in all the right ways.

11. Fuck You ( I’m Famous)… After the tear inducing shit show that was the last song, how about a nice cup of booty- shakin’ punk -boogie attitude?

12. Lights In The Sky… Classic Steve Miller on steroids… And Bad as Shit… (In that good way)

13. Black Ribbons… Simple and heart crushing. “Classic” Shooter… Flawless song. If you don’t like this one, you have no soul. Subtle effects make this a great little interlude in the madness… rather than just a stand alone acoustic piece. Haunting whistling, soft little marching effects… Perfect.

15. Summer Of Rage…. Dire Straits meets Pink Floyd produced by the aforementioned Trent Reznor… Masterful, thought provoking lyrics.. Who says technology is taking the soul out of music. This is living proof that it is not. Beyond brilliant.

16. California Via Tennessee… Slick little ditty… ‘nuff said ….

17. The Illuminated…Another extremely powerful slab of indefinable audio intensity. If Roger Waters started a band in the early seventies with Tony Iommi it would sound like this. Epic.

19. When The Radio Goes Dead/ All Of This Could Have Been Yours (Reprise)… Perfect ending to the perfect album. In the past, when I’ve seen a “reprise” on an album, it usually ends up being some uninspired echo of the original song. Not here. If anything, this actually elevates what already was a transcendent song to begin with. This closing one-two punch has left me with goose bumps and a fervor to hear what Shooter has up his sleeve next.

Overall: 10/10

This album has shaken me to my very core. Any doubts I may have had about Shooter Jennings have disappeared…

Black Ribbons has made me completely change how I think about music. It defies definition and has single-handedly placed Waylon Albright Jennings in the conversation when debating the crucial and significant artists in music today. Shooter has simultaneously shed the “Waylon’s Boy” shadow he’s been under, and proven that great music doesn’t need to be labeled. Outlaws carve their own path. They do it their way. The right way…
Shooter, your father would be so proud.
Keep it up.