Jim Lauderdale – Country Super Hits Volume 2
Jim’s been a top-tier country artist for years. The Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter is as rural as George Strait, as quirky as Lyle Lovett, edgy as Steve Earle & always as good a songwriter as Guy Clark, Joe Ely, Townes van Zandt, & Lucinda Williams, among others.
Lauderdale manages to stay in lane with more traditional themes, yet cleverly manages to negotiate new ground. It’s the reason he remains a fixture in the genre that’s respected by his peers. This isn’t your daddy’s country music, son. There are 13 rolls in the hay on Country Super Hits Volume 2 (Dropped March 27/Sky Crunch) that begin with a traditional country style in “I’ve Still Got You,” with a slight Sonny James tonality (“True Love’s a Blessing”).
The first Country Super Hits album appeared in 2006; neither album is a collection of old hits but fresh tunes. It’s almost like when Phil Ochs released his LP “Phil Ochs Greatest Hits” – Phil had many great songs during his career, but never scored enough on the charts or sold enough records to have an album of greatest hits. Lauderdale has scored better over the years. On this album, the music is relaxing & varied in the same tradition as many tunes by Buck Owens. The LP boasts a nice collection of honky-tonk tunes, heartfelt basic balladry & with “I’m Waggin’ My Tail Again,” cruises past Owens’ far more rollicking “I Got a Tiger By The Tail.” It’s silly, but it’s done with good intent & it’s entertaining.
Pedal steel & country piano dominate tracks but never stay their welcome. Even the oom-pah-pah tunes appeal beyond their vintage sound. The one misstep is “Artificial Intelligence,” which even its Lyle Lovett-reach is country posturing with a sci-fi swipe that’s not novelty-oriented & not silly; it just misses the mark thematically. You might as well sing about UFOs with a pedal steel guitar — more ornamentation than authenticity. But the bullseye comes on “Everybody’s Got A Problem,” — far better. True country. It does seem Jim is aiming at the mainstream. Each has hook-bait catchiness.
“When We Learn To Break Each Other’s Heart” has a ‘60s country-pop crossover hit in its DNA along with songs by Sonny James, Buck Owens, Roger Miller, Sue Thompson, Diane Renay & Sandy Posey. It was such a great musical time. The diamond among the nuggets is “We Don’t See You Anymore” — superb. More in a Steve Earle, expressive, countrified, emotionally honest form. This is the Lauderdale I’d seek out.
Highlights – “I’ve Still Got You,” Hope Springs Eternal,” “You Had To Be There,” “I’m Waggin’ My Tail Again,” “Everybody’s Got A Problem,” “When We Learn To Break Each Other’s Heart,” “Makin’ a Believer Out of Me” & “We Don’t See You Anymore.”
Color photo courtesy of Scott Simontacch. CD @ Bandcamp, Amazon & Apple + https://www.jimlauderdalemusic.com/
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Jim Lauderdale “My Favorite Place”