Search - Waylon Jennings :: Too Dumb For New York City, Too Ugly For L.A.

Great album often overlooked

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 01/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In commercial terms, Waylon was past his sell-by date, but his music was as good as ever in the early nineties, as this album proves.



The opening track (Just talking) reflects on politics and marriage in the modern world. Silent partners (a song later covered by George Jones) is about a couple who love each other but both are afraid to say anything in case they spoil it all. Didn't we shine is about a former couple meeting up again and remembering how great they were together although ultimately they went their separate ways. In the slightly amusing title track, Waylon explains that he doesn't belong in New York or Los Angeles, but that there is somewhere in between where he feels comfortable. He doesn't say where but all his fans know.



Armed and dangerous is actually about a man determined to win the heart of a woman. Heartaches older than you is about an older man explaining to a younger woman that he only wants her love if she's serious. Hank Williams syndrome reflects on the state of contemporary country music. A lot of good finds Waylon reflecting on a woman who has left him because he didn't say sorry. Waylon confesses that he's not perfect in I've got my faults. In Smokey on your front doo, Waylon discusses another man's problem in trying to please two women.



This is a great album from Waylon, the songs reflecting the benefit (or otherwise) of life's experiences. All true Waylon fans will appreciate this album. Of course it doesn't contain any big hits but American country radio stations had decided they didn't want to play his music any more, however good it might be."

Waylon Continues His 1990's Artistic Revival

bestseller92 | Southeastern Oklahoma | 12/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Waylon may not have been on the charts in the 1990s, but artistically he was still as strong as ever. In my opinion his Nineties stuff is some of the best music he made, and his second solo album of the decade, 1992's "Too Dumb for NYC" is proof of that. If he had recorded this album in 1982 it would have gone platinum and spun off 4 or 5 top ten singles. As it is, it may be a little known album, but it is a gem that is well worth listening to. Highly recommended."