Shooter Jennings Album: “Black Ribbons”

I've always thought that Shooter had only one foot in the country scene. With Black Ribbons, not only does he lay down a heavier, metallic, sinister sound that could almost be called progressive, he serves it up in a creepy, mind-bending concept album with Stephen King narration and CD packaging that is pretty darned cool.

I saw Shooter and his kickin band play some of these songs a few months ago on tour, and they come through loud and clear here.

This is an album that has great songs, tells a story and actually has something to say.

I'm not familiar with Shooter, I stumbled onto this record after reading a review/interview on the LA Times website. I was intrigued the more I read about the making and concept behind the work and the influences that went into the record. Yes, it does have influences of Floyd (and it helps that I love PF), but more than that, the album touches on current events and ideas that are not often heard in popular music. The record is a journey from start to finish, a well orchestrated trip. Like one person on here said, you will either love it or not care for it. I for one, am glad I purchased the record.

To start off, I'm a huge Shooter fan and own all of his albums (except the greatest hits collection), all of the duet tracks he's done with other artists, and plenty of bootlegs, so yes, I'm biased. I thought his first two albums were excellent if a bit uneven. His third, "The Wolf" never quite did it for me. When I heard his latest album wasn't going to be country and I started hearing more of the details, I'll admit that it sounded like he was straying even farther from my tastes, but I was intrigued nonetheless and decided to go in with an open mind.

This definitely is not a country album. Many are saying, depending on the song, that the influences seem to be mostly Pink Floyd and NIN, neither of which am I familiar enough with to comment on. All I know is that this is one heck of a concept album, and unlike anything I've heard before. Stephen King is cast as the voice of truth on the radio as the political world as we know it comes to an end, and I feel this framework ties the album together really well. The inclusion of a couple of the songs may be a little bit of a stretch for the theme, but I still think it works. The songs range from heavy rock to nearly acoustic (all of them have electronics of one kind or another thrown in). Favorites for me so far are "Don't Feed the Animals", "When the Radio Goes Dead", and the title track, but this album truly seems meant to be listened to as a whole, not as singles or individual downloads. If you're at all curious, I absolutely recommend this album, just don't show up looking for the country - you're not going to find it.

If you buy the hard copy (and you should), you'll find some of the most impressive and elaborate packaging I've ever seen (Clutch's "Strange Cousins" gives it a run for its money, though). Also check out Shooter's website for an addictive tie-in video game he supposedly created himself. Dedication and talent like this should be rewarded. This isn't just another album - it's an experience. ***Side Note: Makes an excellent soundtrack while playing Fallout 3 if you want to get extra nerdy and apocalyptic!***

"Black Ribbons" is the latest album from Shooter Jennings and his new band Hierophant. It is a richly constructed musical exposition about a fictional, yet not wholly impossible, future America, which has fallen under the rule of fascist oppression. With censorship as the order of the day, it is a dystopian view of the world that we could be headed towards - a world where they have lost the idea of who they are; where they have lost the ability to tell fact from fiction - or speech from propaganda. It is a gray world, with little hope of getting brighter, and it's brought brilliantly to life by Hierophant.

This album is a nuanced and layered look at the price we, as a society, pay when we surrender freedom and liberty in the name of political correctness and "safety". It takes a hard look at the political class and how they strive to divide us. A look at how they manufacture crisis after crisis - all with the purpose of setting themselves up as the only ones who have the solutions. It is a stunningly conceived piece of work that serves both to reflect the listener's own biases back at him, as well as to challenge him to really check his assumptions about the world we live in. Be you left or right, people forget that politics is a circle, not a straight-line continuum. If you go far enough left or far enough right, you end up at the same place - fascism and tyranny. That end result is what the album really serves to warn against. You can find my thoughts on each song at - thewordzombie.

All I can provide is a gut level reaction to this. This is my very first exposure to Shooter Jennings and all I can say is he is definitely NOT riding his Dad's coat tails. For me it was reminiscent of Spirit's "12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicous" and The Cure's "Disintegration" with a dose of George Orwell to kick it up a notch. Personally, I love it, but would absolutely encourage you to sample it before you shuck out the coin to get your own copy.

Without a doubt, Shooter's got sand, boys and girls.