Never Say Die: Live

AMG Review of Never Say Die: Live

William Ruhlmann
All Music Guide

At age 63, Waylon Jennings may have reached the point that he is commercially marginal, but his long hit-filled career gives him a repertoire that can make for a powerful concert set, and on this album, recorded at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in January 2000, he demonstrates that he remains able to turn in a performance to match. This is a special show, with frequent guest-star appearances from Jennings' acolytes -- John Anderson ("Waymore's Blues"), Montgomery Gentry ("[I'm A] Ramblin' Man"), Travis Tritt ("I've Always Been Crazy") -- as well as his wife, Jessi Colter, who gets a solo spot with her hit "I'm Not Lisa" and duets with Jennings on their hit "Storms Never Last." In addition to the familiar material, Jennings mixes in songs from his little-heard late-'90s albums, such as the title track from his 1998 collection, Closing In on the Fire, and covers the pop hits "Drift Away" and "Never Been to Spain." He makes an engaging host, joking with his guests and talking to the audience, but what matters most is that his bass baritone remains sturdy, while his veteran band (which earns a co-billing) still plays his songs with authority. Jennings vows that he is "Goin' Down Rockin'," and if so, that's appropriate, but this album suggests there's still plenty of life in him.