Jimmy Wayne

iTunes Review

Jimmy Wayne didn't graduate from Vanderbilt and he never competed on Nashville Star or American Idol. The North Carolina native had it rough, growing up in an abusive family where his stepfather opened fire on his sister, paralyzing her before trying to kill Wayne. After running away and living homeless on the streets, he built his life up from scratch, putting real experiences into his country music, which is why the songs on Wayne's self-titled debut sound more substantial than those of many of his bleached smile contemporaries. "Paper Angels" is a gripping prayer for all the abused runaways that Wayne encountered first hand. Similarly, "Blue And Brown" is a soft shuffling autobiographical account of a foster brother who was incarcerated at the prison where Wayne worked as a guard prior to his songwriting success. The single "Stay Gone" is a realistic break-up ballad with mature lyrics admitting that sometimes love just isn't enough. The most powerful tune here may be "The Rabbit," a haunting revenge song with the powerful lyrics, "When the tables turn and they will turn/ Mark my words it ain't gonna be fun/ When the rabbit gets the gun."