Out of the Ashes consisted of twelve tracks that mixed the genres of country, blues, gospel, and rock. The album was produced by Don Was, who had previously worked with The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. The release includes guest appearances from son Shooter Jennings and Tony Joe White. It also includes an unreleased song Colter collaborated on with Jennings in the late 1980s called "Out of the Rain." Before recording the album, Colter specifically went to Don Was with a few songs she had written and asked him what he thought. After telling Colter he was unsure about the songs, she returned to Was with more songs and shortly afterwards, they recorded the album. Six of the songs were written entirely by Colter, four were co-written by her, and two were cover versions of songs: the Gospel song, "His Eye is on the Sparrow" and Bob Dylan's "Rainy Day Women No. 12 and 35."
Critical reception
critic, Thom Jurek gave Out of the Ashes a positive review, giving it four out of five stars. Jurek praised the album overall, stating, "Out of the Ashes is a great reflection of the music's tradition, from church pew to the barrom to the lovers' bedroom." Jurek also went on to say, "It is -- after all this time, and six previously celebrated offerings -- the record Colter has been waiting to make all her life and better than anyone ever had any right to expect." Kathy Coleman of about.com gave Out of the Ashes three and a half out of five stars. Even though the album was given a fairly average rating compared to allmusic's, Coleman gave the release positive feedback instead of constructive criticism. Coleman explained how the release of the album helped Colter overcome Jennings's death, emerging her "from grief into a renewed life." Coleman called the track, "The Phoenix Rises" to sound like, "Jessi does indeed rise like the Phoenix from the ashes." She later summarized the album, stating, "Out of the Ashes is a beautiful record, and a new classic by a true legend." Entertainment Weekly also reviewed the album. Unlike other websites, music reviewer, Marc Weingarten criticized Out of the Ashes, calling the album to, "sound more like something Rick Rubin might have worked on." Weingarten explained that he felt Colter's "70s sass is gone" and is instead replaced by, "a voice that sounds cured in gospel and cigarettes." Although he did criticize the release, Weingarten found her songwriting skills to be "still intact" for writing "bluesy" and "bittersweet" material.
Track listing
All songs composed by Jessi Colter, except where noted.
"His Eye is on the Sparrow" – 3:58
"You Can Pick 'Em" – 4:09
"Starman" – 4:23
"The Phoenix Rises" – 4:38
"Out of the Rain" – 4:47
*featuring Waylon Jennings, Shooter Jennings, Tony Joe White, and the Greater Apostolic Christ Temple Choir
