Jim Lauderdale has long been a standard bearer for the future of Bakersfield’s legacy. A songwriter who’s supplied tradition-steeped hits for George Strait, Patty Loveless and Mark Chesnutt, the North Carolina-born artist knows one can stretch the limits of hardcore country if one isn’t ashamed of the roots – the aching steel, the raucous shuffles, the weepy fiddles and pained ballads – with an infusion of verve, passion and experimentation.
Using slightly attenuated lyric lines, Lauderdale’s songs have an offbeat characteristic that catches your ear – whether it’s the bouncing norteno-country of “Please Be San Antone” or the ardent pledge of knowing someone long before the introduction of “I’ve Already Loved You” – and a delivery that offers the ease of conversation. For Lauderdale, songs are two-way communication, whether the dialogue is real time or not.
Working with co-producer Tim Coats, there are no rules, except an easy-going musical interaction that underscores the songs’ intentions. At times, the twang is turned up, at others, it’s merely subliminal; but always his heart’s on his sleeve and there’s a song on his lips that make all the world a whole lot more like Bakersfield. Holly Gleason
Track Listing
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1. You Just Know
Jim Lauderdale -
2. I Already Loved You
Aimee Mayo/Jim Lauderdale -
3. Calico
Jim Lauderdale -
4. Lost Sunset
Jim Lauderdale -
5. Trust (Guiding Star)
Robert Hunter/Jim Lauderdale -
6. Onward Through It All
Jim Lauderdale -
7. It’s Just Like You
Kim Richey/Jim Lauderdale -
8. Almost Next to Nothing
Jim Lauderdale -
9. Please Be San Antone
Emily Erwin/Jim Lauderdale -
10. Lonely Chill
Ollie O’Shea/Frank Dycus/Jim Lauderdale -
11. We Really Shouldn’t Be Doing This
Jim Lauderdale -
12. What I Want You to Say
Jamie Hartford/Jim Lauderdale -
13. The One That Didn’t Get Away
Jim Lauderdale -
14. Understanding Everything
Aimee Mayo/Jim Lauderdale -
15. As If We Would Never Love Again
Frank Dycus/Jim Lauderdale -
16. Still Not Out of the Woods
Gary Nicholson/Jim Lauderdale