Effective Retrospective : CHECK LIST * * * * <i> Great Balls of Fire</i> * * * <i> Good Vibrations</i> * * <i> Maybe Baby</i> * <i> Running on Empty : </i>

* * * WAYLON JENNINGS. “A Man Called Hoss.” MCA. Except for a stiff and corny spoken prologue that would have been better left to the liner notes, this “audio-biography” provides a surprisingly effective and unpretentious retrospective of one country superstar’s life. With vintage Waylon twangin’ guitars behind a voice that sounds stronger than ever, Jennings celebrates his rock roots in the rowdy “You Went Out With Rock ‘N’ Roll,” laments lost loves in the poignant “A Love Song (I Can’t Sing Anymore),” bemoans country music’s straying from the basics in the wry “If Ole Hank Could Only See Us Now” and toasts his own triumph over drugs in the haunting “I’m Living Proof (There’s Life After You).” None of these 10 songs has the ring of a classic, but they add up to a heartfelt and frequently touching portrait of a singer who remains one of country music’s most valuable players.