Customer Reviews

Every Second Counts

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nearly five years ago, Clay Blaker gave me a demo take of about 30 of Jim's songs. We stayed up all night playing them over and over. Most all of these tunes were on that tape. A week hasn't gone by since that I haven't listened and sung along with it. Not since the original Allman Brother's Band have I heard such a perfect blend of the roots of ALL American music: gospel, pop, roadhouse blues and unadulterated, beer joint stomp. Truly amazing. The lyrics transport me back from the altar of my grandma's gospel church to the first heartache I ever felt over a shy, pony-tailed girl. As a song writer, Jim Lauderdale is as good as anyone I've heard on the current scene. As a performer and musician, he comes straight from the soul. The comparisons are numerous in nearly all the reviews I've read: Hank Williams/Brian Wilson, Dylan/Graham Parsons, Buck Owens/Lennon, McCartney. It's as if the snow from a thousand American mountains has thawed and we get to sip Jim's music from a cold, running stream. Who the hell needs champagne when music tastes THIS good? A TOAST.....!

Well, I've always loved Jim Lauderdale's voice, but it's thelyrics and melodies in this CD that make me want to sing out loud withit. Certain lines and turns of phrases alternatively inspire and melt my spirits. "That's not the way it works" has grown on me so much that I find myself singing the chorus to myself out of the blue. And I'm so very charmed by "Charmed". In this and "Echo" Lauderdale's voice and the lyrics just envelope the listener with longing and pleasure all at once. "Fireball" and "Bluebell" are a wonderful release. The title song "Every Second Counts" hits home. If I can't sing along for some reason, I have to at least tap my foot. Buy this CD and sing along - It's a great ride.

A very special period in this prolific artist's career, this album was recorded deep in the Mojave Desert near Joshua Tree,CA. with an all-star band. Jim Lauderdale's Psychedelic Hi-Desert Masterpiece.

Lauderdale at his best. Modern country music at its best. Songwriting at its best! In short, a terrific album - full of great music, energy, touching lyrics, and powerful sentiment.

"That's Not the Way it Works" is the best song on the album, and it's a great one. But other strong cuts are "Don't Build Your World Around It", "Charmed", and "Every Second Counts". Even tracks like "Ready to Ramble", which is maybe too energetic, wins through with lyrics like "funny thing when timing's off; you want to say something that's tender and soft, ..." Similarly, "Fireball" and "Bluebell" take a few listens to get used to, but are well worth it.