Shooter Jennings made history when his Countach (For Giorgio) album – 10 songs written or inspired by electronic music pioneer Giorgio Moroder – debuted inside the virtual world of multi-player online game Shroud of the Avatar™ earlier this year. Last week, Rolling Stone named the groundbreaking collection one of their “15 Great Albums You Didn’t Hear in 2016 – Rolling Stone critics choose LPs that flew under the radar.”
“With this mesmerizing and unexpected tribute to dance-music pioneer Giorgio Moroder, Shooter Jennings finally finds a way to combine all of his diverse influences. There’s outlaw country (a snippet of dad Waylon’s “Outlaw Bit” opens the album), moody prog rock (David Bowie’s “Cat People” with Marilyn Manson) and soaring Eighties pop (“The Neverending Story,” as sung by Brandi Carlile). It’s all tied together by the pop-culture geek mind of Jennings, who hides sonic Easter eggs throughout: Sam Kinison’s scream, amusement-park commercials and the speeches of video-game visionary Richard Garriott de Cayeux. But the heart of the project remains the songs of Moroder, which Jennings interprets with reverence. And a whole lotta synthesizer,” wrote Rolling Stone Senior Editor Joseph Hudak.
In addition to Manson, Carlile and Garriott, Countach (for Giorgio) included an appearance by the late Steve Young, singer, songwriter and outlaw movement figure Shooter befriended several years ago.
On Sunday, Shooter wrapped up a 10-city tour – and 2017 – with singer/songwriter Jason Boland. The two swapped songs in a simple acoustic setting that packed venues in the east and mid-south. The rest of 2016 was filled with touring with his own band and with Waymore’s Outlaws, three of Waylon Jennings’ original band members and lead singer Tommy Townsend.
Black Ribbons: The Ultimate Edition
His Countach album was followed by the release of A Night In Room 8 by Billy Don Burns, which was produced by Shooter and released on his Black Country Rock label. Last month, he released Black Ribbons: The Ultimate Edition, a limited edition package of his 2010 Black Ribbons album that included vinyl, cd and unreleased tracks.
The highly anticipated BCR Mixtape ’16, the annual collection of cuts personally selected by Shooter from Black Country Rock releases, will be available at BCRMedia.com on January 1, 2017.
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