Jessi Colter, the widow of Waylon Jennings, will release her first full-length album in 11 years on March 24.
The last time Colter released music was in 2006, four years after the passing of her country luminary husband. A luminary in her own right, Colter's newest record is titled The Psalms. Colter's new album was inspired by the old testament poetry of Kind David. While the songs draw heavily from the biblical poems, Colter puts her own country twist to the lines.
Produced by longtime Patti Smith guitarist Lenny Kaye, The Psalms also draw from Colter's Pentecostal upbringing. There's no doubt plenty of material for Colter to draw from with regard to her youth. Her mother was a Pentecostal priest while her father built race cars.
A number of the songs come from a pair of New York City sessions back in 2007 and 2008 between Colter and Kaye. Primarily piano and guitar, the album will no doubt be bare bones and highlight Colter's emotive voice. Furthermore, most of the songs were single takes, preserving the intimacy of Colter's take on King David's poems.
The album's lead single, "Psalm 136: Mercy and Loving Kindness" highlights Colter's tender voice while paying homage to the original text. While most of the album features primarily Colter and Kaye, "Psalm 136" has a bit more. Mandolins, light drums, and backing vocals layered throughout the song all pay service to Colter's lead.
Psalms is Colter's first full-length album since 2006's Out of the Ashes.
Colter's autobiography An Outlaw and a Lady: A Memoir of Music, Life With Waylon, and the Faith That Brought Me Home will debut April 11, 2017.
