Waylon Jennings - The Taker/Tulsa [Green Canada Import]

Waylon Jennings was a few years shy of outlaw sainthood when he cut The Taker/Tulsa, a 1971 RCA album pressed here on green 180 gram vinyl as a Canada import.

The record leaned heavily on the songwriting of Kris Kristofferson, then emerging as one of Nashville's most vital new voices, and it climbed to number 12 on the Billboard country albums chart. It captures Jennings in transition, still working inside the RCA system but already reaching toward the rawer, more personal sound that would define Honky Tonk Heroes and the outlaw movement a couple of years later.

"The Taker", written by Kristofferson with Shel Silverstein, became a top five country hit, a sly portrait of a heartbreaker that Jennings' baritone wraps around like worn leather. His take on "Sunday Morning Coming Down" is weary and hungover in all the right ways, "Lovin' Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" is pure tenderness, and "(Don't Let the Sun Set on You) Tulsa" brings a rolling, road-ready groove.

It is a fine example of a great interpreter finding his own voice inside other people's songs, and a reminder of how strong the material was even before Waylon took full control. On green vinyl, it makes a handsome addition to any country shelf.