It’s taken me several listens to finally get my head around this latest release from Shooter Jennings, and I’m sure it will take me quite some time yet to reach a final verdict on this unexpected turn.It doesn’t come as a huge surprise to me that “Black Ribbons” is not a country record. Shooter’s rock ‘n’ roll roots run almost as deep as his country ones. He started his musical career in a rock band, he’s known to break into a jam of Black Sabbath’s “Sweet Leaf” while performing his own “Busted in Baylor County,” and the last time I interviewed him, we spent an enjoyable few minutes discussing the merits of Sabbath’s underrated 1975 album “Sabotage.” Pair that interest with the fact that his last record, “The Wolf,” was a more traditional country album, and it stands to reason that the rock would be out in force on this one. What is surprising, though, is the tangled web of influences that mix and mingle.
