The Other Sessions

Song titles such as "Merle World" and "Honky Tonk Haze" leave little doubt about this album's musical focus. While Jim Lauderdale's recent releases have extended his musical landscape from rhythm & blues to bluegrass, here he returns to the hard twang of the Bakersfield sound as popularized by Merle Haggard and Buck Owens in the 1960s. Fiddles and steel guitars frame roadhouse shuffles, though some of the slighter songs ("First Things First," "Diesel, Diesel, Diesel") sound like period-piece novelties. By contrast, the album's open-hearted balladry seems less nostalgic than timeless, with "You'll Know When It's Right" (cowritten with the legendary Harlan Howard), "I'd Follow You Anywhere," and "Oh My Goodness" representing Lauderdale at his soulful best.

When Jim Lauderdale issued his 1991 masterpiece Planet of Love, the critics were falling all over themselves proclaiming him the king of progressive country who was ushering in the era of Americana.