Right for the Time (Justice)
Survival is its own reward, and Waylon Jennings, who’s raised at least 16
different kinds of hell since 1976’s Wanted: The Outlaws, has come full
circle. Not only is there a song called “Living Legends, part 2” on Right
for the Time, there’s also “Cactus, Texas” (does “Maybe once we’re there
we’ll find out who we are” sound familiar?) and Paul Simon’s “The Boxer.” No,
this isn’t Waylon’s Across the Borderline, but it isn’t Waylon: The
Sequel Album, either. The songs are all on familiar ground, but the record
never drags and there’s enough of Jennings’ razor-sharp lyrics (“I could have
killed her when I first met her/And I’d be out of jail by now”) to keep the
corners of your mouth perked up. This is a man who wrote “Get your tongue out
of my mouth/I’m kissing you goodbye” years before Cynthia Heimel ever thought
about it. Waylon Jennings is right for any time.
HHH — Christopher Gray
This article appears in July 26 • 1996 and July 26 • 1996 (Cover).