Jim Lauderdale embodies the very meaning of Americana. Over 25 previous albums, he's recorded everything from blues to bluegrass, rock to honky tonk, solo acoustic folk records to R&B and collaborated with a slew of artists including
Ralph Stanley. His songs have been recorded by
George Strait and
Dwight Yoakam, to name just two.
I'm a Song is his first straight-ahead country record in seven years, and it's a double. He wrote 11 of these 20 tracks alone, and the rest with
Robert Hunter,
Odie Blackmon,
John Oates,
Elvis Costello,
Bobby Bare, and
Gary Allan. Nine tunes were cut live from the floor with
Al Perkins and
James Burton at RCA's Studio A. The rest of the band includes
Kenny Vaughan,
Dennis Crouch,
Stuart Duncan, and
Oates, with guests
Patty Loveless,
Buddy Miller, and
Lee Ann Womack. Longtime fans will be delighted to find a new version of "King of Broken Hearts" from 1991's
Planet of Love -- later a hit for
Strait. Inspired by the way
George Jones re-cut his hits he reflects how the song's meaning has deepened over time. "I Lost You," co-written with
Costello, originally appeared on the latter's National Ransom, but is done here with more minimal production and a straight-head delivery. Honky tonk ballads make up an important part of
I'm a Song. Some of the finer ones include "I Wish You Loved Me," "The Day the Devil Changed," "Feeling's Hanging On" (a co-write with
Bare) and "I Wish You Loved Me," the
Merle Haggard-esque "A Day with No Tomorrow," and "Let Him Come to You," where
Lauderdale blends swing jazz, vintage pop, and countrypolitain and the ghosts of
Jim Reeves,
Patsy Cline,
Skeeter Davis, and
Roy Drusky haunt its measures. The uptempo tunes really cook. They include the rocking opener "Let's Have a Good Thing Together," the stinging Telecaster choogle in "End of the World Rag," and the rhythm & bluesy country-rock closer "We Will Rock Again," which is evocative of
Delaney & Bonnie. Other highlights include the midtempo "Makin' Honey," "Today I've Got the Yesterdays," and the brooding "Doin' Time in Bakersfield." It's not easy to pull off a country double album, but
Lauderdale is, as usual, canny, and the album's length feels just right.
I'm a Song is certainly informed by the
Harlan Howard/
Chet Atkins Nashville sound of the early to mid-'60s: it is seamlessly sequenced and dynamically balanced, but production never gets in the way of the song. Ultimately, it doesn't feel retro as much as timeless.
Lauderdale adds his writing and arranging spin to a grand tradition and because of his skill, extends it. ~ Thom Jurek