The fourth episode of Season 4 of “Yellowstone” featured a poignant moment in which Travis gave Jimmy an incredible piece of advice: “Whether ranching or rodeoing, you’ve gotta do it for the horse. He or she is your partner,” he said. Similarly, the quartet of songs highlighted this week on the program feature the power of reflecting on lessons learned.
Unlike two of the first four episodes of the season, episode four did not directly or indirectly honor someone related to the program. So far this season, episodes 1 and 3 have paid tribute to the show’s deceased sound editor Alan Robert Murray and award-winning rancher and “Yellowstone” technical assistant Milt Bradford, plus iconic Americana performer John Prine.
Shooter Jennings – “The Low Road”
Shooter Jennings’ 2013-released delightfully gruff acoustic single “The Low Road” comes from his album “The Other Life,” a more traditionalist album from the country performer that is considered one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums of his career. Intriguingly, this isn’t the first time that a track from this album has seen success via television: “Gunslinger” and “Outlaw You” were used for Netflix’s The Punisher back in 2017.
Shane Smith & The Saints – “All I See Is You”
For the second week in a row, we hear from Shane Smith & The Saints. They regarded the chaotic, outdoor, socially-distanced recording of their single and album note, via Facebook, “We had every excuse in the world to throw in the towel, but didn’t. That chaos and effort honestly made this whole thing so much more special, and I’m beyond proud of what we captured.”
Willie Nelson – “Hands On The Wheel”
The ballad from the country legend’s superstar-making 1975 album Red Headed Stranger is part of a series of songs described by writer Chet Flippo upon their release this way. “The difference between Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger and any current C&W album, and especially what passes for a soundtrack for Nashville, is astounding. What Nelson has done is simply unclassifiable; it is the only record I have heard that strikes me as otherworldly. Red Headed Stranger conjures up such strange emotions and works on so many levels that listening to it becomes totally obsessing.”
Zach Bryan – “Condemned”
For the second year in a row, Oklahoma-born Zach Bryan has had a track featured on “Yellowstone”. This version of his 2019-released track “Condemned,” was re-recorded for the show by noted producer Dave Cobb. To gain a sense of his — and likely other artists — joy in having their tracks on the program, his Facebook post upon his placement last year speaks volumes: “This song was played on the television show “Yellowstone” tonight. It was a surreal moment that I’ll never truly grasp…I’ve got no idea what in the hell is going on because I’m just some window-licking kid from Northeast Oklahoma. I know I don’t deserve any of it, but I still would like to thank the people who have loved me and held on along the way. If this is all I get out of this life, I will be just fine.”