Customer Reviews

Headed for the Hills

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this cd about two months ago and have listened to it about 15 times. Originally, I purchased it on a whim due to Robert Hunter's participation in the lyric process. I have so much music it is hard to listen to something often, but this cd I am calling the best release of 2004 (thus far). Go inside the stories, hear the tunes. This cd really is a winner cover to cover. 5 stars is only reserved for *really* good albums. This is one.

I had a hunch that I would like this CD. I had never heard Jim Lauderdale's music before "Headed for the Hills", but I had heard of him, and being a fan of Robert Hunter, I knew this would be a good place to hear him for the first time. One thing that almost held me back from getting this CD was the thought, "what if Hunter's lyrics are really bad?" I dig almost every song Hunter ever wrote with Jerry Garcia, but I don't have the same confidence in Hunter's ability to write for other Dead members and stay away from any post-Jerry songs that Hunter has written for the Dead because, in my opinion, they can't stand up to the classic ones he wrote with Garcia. The first time I listened to this CD I could tell that the lyrics weren't bad, but I wasn't sure I liked the phrasing or singing style of Lauderdale. However, I felt compelled to listen again. It's funny how differently music sounds the first time you're hearing it compared to when you've become accustomed to it. I scrutinized the lyrics and was ready to be very critical of them. Fortunately, after listening to this CD over a half dozen times now, I can say there isn't much to criticize about it. I quickly got over my aversion to Lauderdale's voice and phrasing. It sounds extremely natural. It's really starting to sink in. The melodies, which I understand were written by Lauderdale, take shape after time and start to stand out. The one or two songs that have yet to win me over probably will eventually. If I had to criticize anything it would be that although the musicianship is top notch, a lot of guests sit in, it is rather conservative at times. I would like to have heard a little bit more "music" between verses, but that's not too big of an issue. This album is going to make me a fan of Jim Lauderdale. I'm already planning on buying the album he did with Donna the Buffalo called "Wait 'Til Spring" and the one he did with Ralph Stanley called "Lost in the Lonesome Pines". I may even get more after that. With Lauderdale, Hunter has found a new voice for his words, and I hope to see the two on them collaborate again in the future.

Over the past several years, Jim Lauderdale has become my favorite singer/songwriter. While HEADED FOR THE HILLS is not the overtly bluegrass album as his two collaborations with Ralph Stanley, there are enough dobros, fiddles and mandolins to make this one of the most satisfying albums of Lauderdale's career.

In addition to guest musicians like Emmylou Harris, Tim O'Brien and Gillian Welch, lyricist Robert Hunter co-wrote each of these 13 tracks with Lauderdale, lending the album a backporch feel missing from much of today's country music. Even the idiosyncratic country sounds of Donna the Buffalo on "Upside Down" fit nicely on this collection of old timey country songs. Highlights include "High Timberline," "Crazy Peg and Darby Doyle" and "Head for the Sun." HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

If you like true "roots" music this CD is a must-have. The combination of Robert Hunter's wonderful lyrics and Jim Lauderdale's beautiful melodies make for a body of work that will be treasured in anyone's music collection. The last track is a little out of character in my opinion (I dont think the drums were particularly necessary for this CD,) but that certainly doesn't stop me from giving the CD a full five stars.

Some songwriters seem to serve better as conduits through which God's voice can flow than others, and Robert Hunter has a long history of accomplishing this. If you are a Dead-head, then you know what I mean; and you NEED this album. This is some of Hunter's best work from any era, let alone the more recent years. I don't mean to ignore Jim's contribution either. I think he definitely has a talent of similar magnitude. The world is so lucky these two have come together and apparently enjoy working together.

Oh, I almost forgot. The music. The songs use traditional bluegrass instrumentation for the most part. The arrangements are very simple, making the focal point the singing. The music is not quite traditional sounding despite the instrumentation, but it is beautiful! Innovative. Pushing bluegrass into new territories. And the track with Donna the Buffalo is fun.

This album is EXCELLENT from start to finish!

My only criticism of Jim Lauderdale is that I sometimes do not like his voice, as to me he can sound like a cliche male country vocalist. But his voice sounds perfectly at home on this album, in my opinion.

The songs are rich in colorful lyrics that can be interpreted in a plentitude of ways; and serve as wonderful metaphors for current political events, modern life, and pretty much any particular situation you may happen to be stuck in at any given time. Hunter and Lauderdale have a knack for that kind of thing - songs that all of a sudden attack you and suck you out of time and space and speak directly to you heart. Those are my favorite types of songs, and there's a few of them here! My favorites on the album are probably Sandy Ford, Trashcan Tomcat, Paint and Glass, Tales from the Sad Hotel, and Joanne. But those were some really hard choice to make, because I LOVE every bit of this whole album.

Finally, a country and western record that plays more western than country. Not so much cowboy as it is prospector.
Though the beautiful instrumentation is inspired appalachian, the vocals and stories reflect a world of grizzled seekers in the promised land somewhere past the Big Muddy.
Cinematic and nearly animated, there is an edgy mirth spun here with Lauderdale's earthy yodel rooting the tales of Grateful Dead icon, Robert Hunter, to the mountainside.
This disc makes for a great ride into a purple sage filled valley.

Although I had heard of Jim Lauderdale, I had never heard his music until I bought tickets for a benefit concert that he did in NH a couple of years back. Suffice it to say, I was enthralled from the very first song. As a long-time bluegrass fan, I have been searching for contemporary bluegrass musicians who can bring the same vitality and authenticity to the music as old-timers like the Stanley Brothers, the Louvin Brothers and Bill Monroe do. I think I've found my man.

Jim has an amazing voice with great range and dead-on accuracy that is well-suited to bluegrass, although he does great country work too. He is accompanied on this album by excellent back-up musicians on fiddle, mandolin and guitar, and together Jim and the band have put together a wonderful selection of tunes with that true old-time feel.

I bought this album at the concert and for the first week or so, I just had it on continuous repeat in my car CD player; it's that good. The best albums for me are the ones that get better with each listening, as the subtleties of the lyrics and the musical accompaniment reveal themselves. I've gone on to buy many more of Jim's albums and every one is a gem in its own right, although this one remains a favorite. Try it, you'll like it!