It was only a year ago that a new series of Waylon Jennings tribute was started with Waylon: The Music Inside: A Collaboration Dedicated to Waylon Jennings. It’s a series that started off with a volume one edition featuring James Otto, Trace Adkins, Alabama and Jamey Johnson. This Volume II edition features even more artists inspired by Waylon, including Dierks Bentley, Montgomery Gentry, Justin Moore, Jack Ingram, Josh Thompson (who has a song called “Blame it On Waylon”) and Colt Ford. Hank Williams, Jr. also tributes his friend here as does Waylons’ wife Jessi Colter (who is the only artist to have appeared on both Volume I and Volume II).

Released through Average Joes Entertainment, The Music Inside: Volume II is a better collection of Waylon songs than the first volume was, something that makes us wonder why some of these songs weren’t featured there instead.

Dierks Bentley – who released Home the same day that The Music Inside: Volume II was released – rips through a spirited yet faithful take on the classic “Lonesome, On’ry and Mean” while Hank Williams, Jr shows that he’s still got the goods while rippin’ through “Waymore’s Blues.” Children of the late 1970s and 1980s remember The Dukes of Hazzard and its theme tune. Popular country duo Montgomery Gentry show off their appreciation for Waylon – and for being teenagers during the era of the show’s prominence – by serving up a faithful and fun rendition of “Good Ol’ Boys.” It’s a song that honestly could be a big country hit if released to the charts today (the theme fits right in with current country themes).

Justin Moore rips through the Rodney Crowell-penned late 1970s classic “I Ain’t Living Long Like This” while Colt Ford takes “Only Daddy That’ll Walk The Line” and does a remarkable job of keeping true to the spirt and theme of the song. Josh Thompson’s take on “Love Of The Common People” is a fantastic and inspired cover of a song that not all fans will recognize – it’s from Waylon’s early career – and like the Montgomery Gentry take, this one would fit well within mainstream country radio of today.

Pat Green’s “Rainy Day Woman” is faithful to the classic hit while Jewel tenderly takes on “Dreaming My Dreams with You.”  Each of the albums in this series feature a previously unheard of newcomer and cowboy singer Wyatt McCubbin’s take on “A Long Time Ago” shows off a strong vocalist ready to have his chance at country music stardom.

Chances are if you’re a fan of either Waylon or any of the artists featured on this project, you’re gonna like what you hear and if you are a fan that’s new to Waylon, this album – and Volume 1 before it – serve as good gateway into Waylon’s own music, a collection of music that’s worthy of seeking out and hearing in its original form.

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