Four-time GRAMMY Award-winning Shooter Jennings has put together a second album of previously unknown songs from his country-superstar father, Waylon Jennings. Same Old Blues features the voice of Jessi Colter, his mother and Waylon’s wife. Two things are immediately striking: firstly, Same Old Blues has a fabulous groove that makes you want to move; secondly, Colter’s performance is outstanding – her quiet, understated, almost-whispered vocal is beautifully melodic and absolutely absorbing.
This is the second single from the album Diamonds, which will be released physically on 13th November before appearing on streaming services on 11th December. This album follows Songbird, the acclaimed collection Shooter released in 2025 that brought into the light a newly discovered set of Waylon’s songs. It’s an amazing legacy, given life through Shooter’s exploration of Waylon’s archives.
Shooter explains how the song surfaced: “Way back in 2024 when I first opened the Waylon archives, I found a lot of music by my mother, from all eras, that also had never been heard before. I knew with ‘Songbird’ I was going to be reintroducing Waylon Jennings to the modern world, and I had a thought in the back of my mind that I would have to do something with my mom’s unheard music as well. Even though she’s alive and well, there was still a collection of material that I thought just had to be heard.
“When I started putting together ‘Diamonds’, there was a narrative in the storytelling happening across the songs, and I felt there were a few songs that really stood out to me of Jessi’s that fit the album. One of those songs was ‘Same Old Blues’. Written by J.J. Cale originally, this version was produced by Tony Joe White during a number of sessions that Tony Joe produced on Jessi. This one was so special to me because it featured Tony Joe White on one guitar and Waylon, with his signature guitar pickin’ style, alongside Richie Albright’s unmistakable drum feel.
“According to my mom, her singing style was different because Tony Joe White encouraged her to whisper-sing in her take, much like J.J. Cale, calling it her ‘Rock n’ Roll Voice’. Either way, the song stood out to me as something that the world had to hear, and I felt including it, as well as her other song ‘I’m Tired’ on Diamonds, was a must. The underlying story is that this, along with all of the songs on ‘Diamonds’, for the most part, are songs made by friends with a shared passion for music exploration, and they had a good time doing it.
“The video, directed by the great Will Acuña, was based on an idea my wife Misty had, just documenting the studio I work in and the process I went through restoring the sessions. I hope you all enjoy it!” Indeed, we absolutely enjoy it. Check it out.
