Search - Waylon Jennings :: Lonesome On'Ry & Mean

Waylon At His Best

David E. Palmer | Chicago, IL USA | 01/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Lonesome, On'ry, and Mean" is Waylon Jennings at his best. If it weren't for the fact that he recorded "Honky Tonk Heroes" right afterwards -- which is, hands down, the greatest record of all time, in any category you care to name -- this album would probably get the attention it deserves."Lonesome, On'ry, and Mean" was the album on which Waylon decisively broke away from the "Nashville sound" and started to define what "outlaw" music was about. Waylon was moving into uncharted territory, and a sound which I can only describe as the sound of raw freedom echoes from the Telecaster snarl of the first track.This album includes songs written by Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Mickey Newbury, and Kris Krisfofferson, and some of the musicians include Billy Ray Reynolds and Randy Scruggs on guitars, Charlie McCoy on harmonica, Ralph Mooney on steel, and Richie Albright on drums."

"Outlaw" country coming into its own...

Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 04/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the classic "outlaw" country albums, with two of Waylon's greatest performances ever -- "Lonesome, On'ry & Mean," and "Just Pretend I Never Happened," as well as some off-the-radar gems, such as his version of Danny O'Keefe's "Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues" and Mickey Newbury's "Frisco Mabel Joy," which is a superior reading of a highly regarded song. It's worth noting that the best songs on here are the ones Waylon produced himself; Nashville studio heavies like Danny Davis and Ronny Light (who also contributed to this album) were really just in the way, proving that all that jive that Waylon was saying at the time about "creative control" was 100% right on the money...



If you're checking Waylon out, this disc's a must-have."

This one will grow on you . . .

taker | Harrisburg, PA | 09/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the album that Waylon begins to break away from the packaged country sound to his own style. Although he does'nt make a clean break with this album, there are some songs that show his talent and what is to come. Of course, "Lonesome On'ry and Mean" is the ultimate Waylon song. Other songs complementing this album are "Freedom to Stay, Lay it Down, Good TIme Charlie ". . . and "Laid Back Country Picker, and Big, Big Love" assist as well. The others are "Ehhh, I could take em or leave em". "Pretend I Never Happened" is not a song that has done much for me, in fact I skip over it. In my humble opinion, it is the worst song on this album and is much overrated. This Album is worth getting. It is an integral part of the Waylon story."