Never Say Die - The Complete Final Concert

iTunes Review

Waylon Jennings hit Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium stage for two nights in January 2000, his health deteriorating to the point where he was too ill to stand. However, his voice and spirit were in fine, inspired form throughout. Guests John Anderson, Montgomery Gentry and Travis Tritt pay homage with respectful cameos, but it’s Waylon’s wife Jesse Colter who joins him for four tracks (including a perfectly paced call and response on Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds”) that make for the most emotionally affecting moments. There are no garish moments of embarrassing showmanship, just lean, mean aggression that brings out the dramatic pull of “Trouble Man,” the downhome funk of the Band’s “The Weight,” and the effortless flow of “Help Me Make It Through the Night.”  “I’ve Always Been Crazy” with Travis Tritt reflects Jennings’ fascination with his reckless indulgences. However, it’s the deep effective timbre in his voice for the slow and touching medley of “Amanda / A Couple More Years” that make the case for Jennings as one of the finest singers in any genre.