The Ramblin' Man reissue (Buddha, 2000)

Buddha's re-issue juggernaut rolls on with another set from the Waylon Jennings' early-'70's heyday. This 1974 release finds a good rockin' Waylon backed by The Waylors and a shifting cadre of studio cats.

Recorded at Tompall Glaser's Hillbilly Central, this one is admirably all over the map. It's perhaps most notable for containing two that have become standards: the title track - In Which The Outlaw Stakes His Credo - and "Amanda," one of his more enduring ballads. Amid that pair of number one country hits lie some charmers: the PG-13 smut of "I Can't Keep My Hands Off You;" and "Memories of You And I," a smoldering ballad from forgotten Outlaw bit player Lee Clayton. There's the Cajun-flavored "Rainy Day Woman" with Ralph Mooney's sweet, aching steel and a typically gravelly take on The Allmans' "Midnight Rider."

Some of the rest falls short; decent enough if not up to the sheer momentum of "Honky Tonk Heroes" or "Waylon Live," the crown jewels of this re-issue series thus far.