Closing In on the Fire is an album by American
country music artist
Waylon Jennings, released on the small Ark 21 Records label on June 16, 1998. It features contributions from several celebrities associated with both
country and
rock music. The selections include, among others,
Sting's "She's Too Good for Me" and
Tony Joe White's title track, creating a greater degree of musical eclecticism than in many previous Jennings releases. The singer incorporated elements of genres such as
blues and rock, in addition to traditional country ballads. "Best Friends of Mine," an
autobiographical song, is a tribute to
Buddy Holly,
Hank Williams Jr. and Jim Garchow (former DJ and longtime voice of the
Idaho Falls Chukars) minor league baseball team who was one of Jennings' close friends from Waylon's days in
Phoenix.
Carl Smith, one of Jennings's idols, appears on "Untitled Waltz." In an interview[2] the singer mentioned that he wasn't fully satisfied with his take on
The Rolling Stones' "
No Expectations", calling it "a little more contrived than I would have liked." An interview featuring Jennings commenting on the record is included as a
bonus track. Closing In on the Fire, Jennings' 72nd release, reached #71 on the country charts and was the last studio album by the singer to be released before his death in 2002.
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