Closing in on the Fire

Closing in on the Fire is an album by 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 one of Jennings' close friends from his days in Phoenix. Carl Smith, one of the performer's idols, appears on "Untitled Waltz". In an interview^[1], 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.