Sky Crunch Records

****

Jim Lauderdale is a legend whose very name has been the definition of idiosyncratic for some 30 odd years. Known affectionately as Mr. Americana, there is something especially intriguing about the way he seamlessly melds so many unlikely threads of country music influences, joining together a melange of honky-tonk, country-soul, bluegrass, western swing, Appalachia, and deep south trad country, distilling it all into a sound that is distinctively his very own. At the heart of the accusations by mainstream country bullies that country and roots music must evolve to stay relevant is the insinuation that it isn't evolving within the ranks of traditional artists, or that music can’t evolve and still include those strong ties to the roots that many traditionalists insist on. Over a career that has spanned 36 eclectic albums, Jim Lauderdale has consistently shown that you can move the music forward, without ever losing sight of the ingredients that made the music so appealing in the first place. 

For this, his 37^th album, Jim has utilised his touring band, the Game Changers—Craig Smith (guitar), Frank Rische (guitar, harmony vocals), Jay Weaver (bass), Dave Racine (drums), and the harmony vocals of Lille Mae Rische—alongside some of Nashville’s finest, including Chris Scruggs, Kenny Vaughn (lead electric guitar), Catherine Styron Marks (piano, B3), Micah Hulshcher (piano, organ, B3), Robbie Crowell (piano), Tommy Detamore, Steve Hinson, Will Van Horn (pedal steel), Tim Couch (fiddle), Walter Hartman, Pat Bubert (drums) and Bob Minner, Wes L’Angolis (acoustic guitars). The result is the kind of golden, homespun twang-soul we’ve come to find so comforting from Jim Lauderdale, with that unmistakable groove you can’t help but sway to, the one that makes you want to grab a loved one and dance barefoot in the dirt. 

The songs unfold with a brutal intimacy and a steely energy as Jim often uses bright surfaces to obscure sinister intentions, clothing dark songs in classic country tropes. Right out of the box, sublime pedal steel sets the tone for You’ll Be Gone By Then, a desolate heartbreaker, with its cry-in-your-beer pathos, including tons of twangy tremolo, that harkens back to the days of Duane Eddy. The heartfelt Mrs. Green continues that theme of love and longing. Co-written with Bob Milner, the narrator, waiting in the wings, is offering assurances to a woman nearing the end of a broken relationship. The song is dressed in an intricate latticework of noodly finger-picked guitar, yearning violin and haunting pedal steel. In less skilled hands, the song would have been a disjointed jumble of subtle chat-up lines, but Jim makes it an artfully delivered yarn, without losing its tender, achy-breaky centre.

The opening piano notes to Sweethearts Remember are reminiscent of the accompaniment that was used way back, one hundred years ago, in Picture Houses for Silent Movies. Then the infectious song moves along briskly into a delightfully breezy toe-tapping swing number, that extolls the pleasures of music and togetherness. The lilting tones of I’m A Lucky Loser are full of irony, as with a cheeky glint in his voice, he recalls both the good and bad luck that has propelled him successfully through life. He infuses the song with a slow-simmering frustration that gives the tune an extra bit of an edge. He takes the same approach with album closer, What’s Important After All. With its gently comforting Jimmie Rodgers-vibe, the easy-going layers of folk blues, and the sultry languor of smoky jazz, this is a most pleasing way to close this highly enjoyable set of songs and performances. 

www.jimlauderdalemusic.com

August 2024