Jim Lauderdale
Jim Lauderdale: Patchwork River (2010)
I’d overlooked Jim Lauderdale. I knew of him, even heard a few songs and shrugged. When I first heard a track from this new record, I really enjoyed it and was pleasantly surprised to find out it was Lauderdale. The lights went on when I discovered this collection was filled with songs co-written with Robert Hunter.
Now Robert Hunter I knew. Songwriter for the Grateful Dead. Author, often with Jerry Garcia, of some of my favorite Dead songs like “Ripple,” “Uncle John’s Band,” “Sugar Magnolia,” and “Friend of the Devil.” I gave the whole album a try, and I’m glad I did.
I’m not normally a lyrics guy. I listen to the melodies, the orchestration, the rhythms, the textures, and if all that works for me then I start listening for the words. On this record, the lyrics grabbed me before I knew what was happening. Take, for example, these lines from “Alligator Alley:”
She said, “You look like Elvis Presley.”
I said, “I know. It tends to stress me.
Gives rise to undue expectations.
And other suchlike aggravations.”
The arrangements are good too, especially when the horns come out on “Louisville Roll.” The opening guitar riff on “Turn to Stone” is also memorable, aided by some tasty fiddle work. And I don’t ever remember Lauderdale’s voice appealing to me like it has on this record.
“Patchwork River” is a solid, highly enjoyable record. For anyone like me who hasn’t been enamored with Jim Lauderdale in the past, this might be the record that turns things around for you like it did for me.
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