An Outlaw...A Lady, The Very Best Of

Jessi Colter | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 2, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B0000BV1ZY
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,448 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. You Mean to Say

2. Suspicious Minds

3. Under Your Spell Again

4. I'm Not Lisa

5. What's Happened to Blue Eyes

6. You Ain't Never Been Loved (Like I'm Gonna Love You)

7. Storms Never Last

8. It's Morning (And I Still Love You)

9. Without You

10. Here I Am

11. I Belong to Him

12. New Wine

13. I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name

14. You Hung the Moon (Didn't You Waylon?)

15. Maybe You Should've Been Listening

16. That's the Way a Cowboy Rocks and Rolls

17. Hold Back the Tears

18. Wild Side of Life/It Wasn't Go Who Made Honky Tonk Angels (Medley)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally, September 10, 2003

By 

"troytron" - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Outlaw...A Lady, The Very Best Of (Audio CD)

A generally sparkling compilation from one of country music's most mercurial artists. Colter emerged in the 60s on the arm of Duane Eddy and later married "outlaw" Waylon Jennings. But it wasn't until her single "I'm Not Lisa" became a million-selling country/pop smash in 1975 that she became a superstar. Colter's style was always "confessional" music -- very observant and poetic, and usually about the travails of loving a difficult man. Yet her lyrics were incisive and defiant at times, her delivery vulnerable or aggressive, depending upon her message.

For at least a couple of years in the mid-seventies, Colter was one of country music's biggest selling artists -- male or female. Her first three Capitol albums (I'm Jessi Colter, Jessi, and Diamond in the Rough) were monster sellers on both country and pop lists, the first going gold and the other two packing a big country/pop sales whallop, which was rare for a female country artist in the day. Moreover, her inclusion on the Platinum-selling 1976 compilation "Wanted: The Outlaws" sealed her place as the only female outlaw in the business. Colter deserved the title; her songwriting was unlike anyone else's -- truly original, plaintive, and earthy. Songs from all of these albums are featured on this new compilation, many of them being chart hits for Jessi, including "What's Happened To Blue Eyes," "You Ain't Never Been Loved" and "It's Morning and I Still Love You."

A fourth Capitol alubm in 1977, 'Mirriam,' was a stark and Gospel-tinged concept record. Despite the radical departure in theme, it sold well based upon the strength of her superstardom, but her artistry really nosedived after this elegant offerimg. Luckily, two songs from 'Mirriam' are included on this compilation, one featuring the back-up vox of Roy Orbison and the other an exotic, Far-Eastern-style chant called "New Wine." That song alone is worth the price of the disc.

Colter's 1978 album, 'That's The Way A Cowboy Rocks and Rolls' was atrocious -- an obvious, crass attempt by the label to package Colter into a [beauty] who sang what she was told to sing, rather than what she wanted to write. The result was a lackluster, cheap hodgepodge wherein even Jessi didn't sound convinced of her voice or direction. Of the few good tracks on the record, the best by far was a fine cover of Neil Young's "Hold Back the Tears" (which is included here) but her cover of Tony Joe White's title song was forced and demeaning. The Jessi Colter who wrote and sang masterpieces like 1976's "Here I Am" was simply not believable singing lines about cowboys "drivin' pick-up trucks and dippin' Skoal." Though this album was a chart performer, it severely compromised Colter's artitic integrity in a big way, and even her snappy, back-on-track 1981 album "Ridin' Shotgun' (her last studio album for Capitol) could not bring her back from the misfire. It's a mystery why Capitol did not include on this new disc any of the truly fine songs from that record (like "Wings of My Victory"), or even lisence Colter's legendary contributions to the 'White Mansions' concept album with Eric Clapton, Jennings, et al.

They did, however, snag a very moribund duet from Colter's REAL 1981 comeback: her half-million selling 'Leather and Lace' album with Jennings. "Leather and Lace" spawned a couple of hits, including the Top Ten "Wild Side of Life/Honky Tonk Angels" track featured on this disc. Though it's listenable, Jennings and Colter both sound tired and worn-out from the rigors of being alleged "outlaws" and they bring nothing new or original to the song other than the novelty of it being a medley performance. It's wise to recall that it was at this time that Jennings' drug problems began to escalate to levels that seriously eroded his health and wellbeing, and the country "outlaw" fad was fading as fast as disco.

After 'Leather and Lace,' Jessi Colter effectively disappeared from the scene, except to tour occasionally with Waylon as a supportive prop and record sporadically. A gorgeous 1984 Chips Moman-produced LP -- (Roch n Roll Lullabye)-- stiffed big time due to lousy distribution. A cute kids album followed, and more of Colter's role as wife and nurturer of the declining Waylon. When Jennings tragically succumbed to the consequences of his illnesses in 2003, Colter laid him lovingly to rest and deservedly is beginning to rev-up one of the "best-keep-secret legends" in the business -- her own.

This compilation is an excellent start; almost all her chart hits are here (yes, the unforgettable 'I'm Not Lisa') and her first four "stardom" albums (all of them classics) are somewhat well-represented. A few years ago I saw a striking video duet between Colter and Jenning entitled "Deep in the West." It was recorded in the late 90s and Colter had never sounded or looked better. The news that she is now recording a brand new album with legendary producer Don Was is a thrill. This is one of the greatest female singer-songwriters of the genre, in her day, and she must not be overlooked or forgotten. This compilation will introduce the listener to that lyrical originality and that one-of-a-kind expressive, emotional voice. Testimonies in the liner notes from George Jones and Kris Kristofferson only confirm what many have known for years -- Colter is the Real Thing and an American Treasure.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jessi! Jessi! Jessi!, January 8, 2004

By 

Michael G. Batcho (McAdoo, PA (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Outlaw...A Lady, The Very Best Of (Audio CD)

"An Outlaw . . . A Lady- The Very best Of Jessi Colter" - is one great album of music by one great lady! I have been one who loved her music ever since I first heard "I'm Not Lisa" on the radio way back in the 70's. I never lost my appreciation for her songs and vocal delivery. She had been mainly absent from the music scene (at least in any big way) for many years. This CD should make her known and loved by those who once treasured her music and to those who are only now beginning to learn of her music. It should open their eyes and ears to what really great country/rock music sounds like.
This collection has a great duet with her husband, the late great Waylon Jennings doing the Elvis song, "Suspicious Minds" I prefer this track to Elvis's version.
The spiritual side of Jessi comes shining through on "I Belong To Him" (with Waylon and Roy Orbison doing back-up vocals).
One of the most moving tracks (now in retrospect) is her, "You Hung The Moon (Didn't You Waylon?)" You just know that to Jessi, Waylon did hang the moon.
"I'm Not Lisa" is on here and so is "What's Happened to Blue Eyes?" but my favorite track is "Storms Never Last (Do They Baby?)"- I wish the collection would have also added the duet version of this song she recorded with Waylon as a compliment to her solo rendition. Jessi sang this song over Waylon's grave at his funeral. How she managaed to get through it, only she, Waylon and God can know.
On an up-beat side, she and Waylon share a duet with a cover of Buck Owens' "Under our Spell Again", one of the best country duets ever laid down in a recording studio.
The liner notes say that Jessi is working on an album of all new recordings. It's her time now. I look forward to her new work, but am glad as all he** for this current collection of her past contributions. Thanks Jessi, for giving us music as beautiful as you are!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Completely Her "Best", December 11, 2008

By 

JordanJasper - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Outlaw...A Lady, The Very Best Of (Audio CD)

This compilation captures Colter's 1970s and early '80s chart-songs, but they aren't all necessarily her best work. "I'm Not Lisa," "What's Happened to Blue Eyes," "It's Morning," "You Ain't Never Been Loved," and "Suspicious Minds (w/ Waylon Jennings)" were all hit singles for Jessi on country and/or pop lists in 1975-76. All of them are very good, but it would've been much better for Capitol to re-release 'I'm Jessi Colter' and the follow-up 'Jessi' album in entirety, because those albums were virtually flawless. Colter's work afterward was quite uneven. Her big and well-deserved stardom in the mid-70s took a nosedive for good reasons: she retreated from the limelight to focus on family...and her music was simply not very compelling after the 1975-77 peak years.

To wit, we have a couple of tunes from 1976's 'Diamond in the Rough.' That album itself was a big hit for Jessi, sure, but it was also a somewhat uneven piece of work--even back then it seemed hurriedly "cobbled together" to capitalize on the "Outlaws" album coattails. This compilation should have included Colter's outstanding versions of The Beatles' "Get Back" and "Hey Jude" from that album, because the rest of 'Diamond's' tracks were forgettable. "I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name" and "Hang the Moon" (featured on this compilation) are total snoozers.

Colter's 1977 "Mirriam" album (all Gospel) was well-intentioned and very lovely, but not a mainstream release, in my opinion. It seemed more of a vanity-piece (though she certainly had earned the right ot make it, by late 1977, after being one of Capitol's biggest selling artists for three years running). Of the devotional songs on 'Mirriam,' we get "I Belong to Him" (w/ Jennings and Roy Orbison singing back-up), and "New Wine." They're interesting, but that's about it.

Truly awful are the tracks from Colter's 1978 dud, "That's the Way a Cowboy Rocks and Rolls". The entire album was bad, with Colter's vocals weak, mousy, and uncertain, and the song-selection drab, at best. "Maybe You Should Have Been Listening" makes you want to NOT listen, and her cover of Neil Young's "Hold Back the Tears" is flatter than a pancake.

My point with all this is that this compilation is called "The Best of..." so, why not feature her actual "best"?

Otherwise, half the 18 tracks on this compilation do ~not~ represent the best of Jessi Colter, IMO. I think that an 18-track collection featuring every song on her first two Capitol albums, along with the choicest cuts from her 1970 "Star is Born" and 2006 "Out of the Ashes" albums (with maybe a couple "Outlaws" tracks and one Beatles-cover from "Diamond in the Rough") would be a true testament to this great artist's brilliance. After all, Jessi's unique style was a huge influence on stars like LeeAnn Womack, Gretchen Wilson, Iris DeMent, Allison Moorer, etc. If you're going to call it Jessi's "best," give us her "best." This album gets it less than half right, but obviously it's worth having for those who really grooved to Colter in the old days.

Those who want to discover her for the first time are advised to get her 2006 "Out of the Ashes" album, produced by Don Was. Truly awesome piece of work.