Customer Reviews

Onward Through It All

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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What a lovely surprise this was... The title song with one of my other favorite artists, Kim Richey, is luscious and intriguing... a great listen the first time and it just keeps revealing more turns of thought and feelings everytime i hear it. I could listen to Calico over and over again too. This disc has been part of my daily mix for almost 3 weeks now! I can't get enough. Saw Jim live twice in the past year and he's just a great performer too. You can tell that he's as grateful to be there singing as we are to be listening and singing along with him. Glad he's in this world, writing, singing and laughing with us. Couple this with his new one "I Feel Like Singin' Today" with Dr. Ralph Stanley for an excellent gift.

Just when I thought there was no "new" country music worth hearing and I had worn out all of my Merle, Willie, and Kris Cds, I found Onward Throught It All. It has everything you don't hear on today's country radio: great words and real tunes by great musicians. I can't get it off my cd player. I have just ordered his first two, can't wait to give them a spin. This had got to be my favorite cd of of the year. Everyone I have played it for has loved it. Buy two and give one to a friend!

Jim Lauderdale is a singer-songwriter who is better known for writing hits for others than for his own recording career. Jim has written for all sorts of mainstream country stars including George Strait and the Dixie Chicks and he is well liked and respected within Nashville's musical community, but relatively unknown to the outside world. That is a shame because he is not only a great songwriter, but also an amazing singer who surely interprets his own songs better than anybody else.

Onward Through It All is Lauderdale's most recent solo album, although he has more recently released a duet album with Ralph Stanley called I Feel Like Singing Today. There are 16 songs on this latest disc and everyone of them is a gem. Lauderdale understands the conventions of country music so well that he can employ them in such a way as to make a song that you have never heard before sound like an old favorite. This is not to say that these songs are derivitive or faceless. Lauderdale singing voice is great and the arrangements are stellar. Julie and Buddy Miller as well mandolinist David Grisman sit in on various cuts, but Lauderdale is the center of the disc. His writing runs the
gamut between aching ballads like "I Already Loved You" to rockers like "Still Not Out of the Woods". His subject matter is often more philosophical than your average fare on cuts like "Understanding Everything" and "Trust(Guiding Star)the latter of which is a collaboration with Grateful Dead lyricist, Robert Hunter.

Unfortunatley, Lauderdale seems to tour infrequently which may be part of the reason he is largely unknown, but if you enjoy Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams or just country music with integrity be sure to check out this excellent release

What a fabulous album, all facets of the music and his personal feeling come sailing through. For those of you that fancy Jim Lauderdale, there is a fabulous video in which Jim performs with 4 other artists, with many close-ups and excellent sound. The video is called "Cotton-Patch Gospel". I bought my copy through Amazon.com and play it often. It is one of the most entertaining, inspiring portrayals of the gospel you will ever see. Thank you for this chance to share a review with others.

OK, Jim Lauderdale might not be the greatest singer in the world, but he's one of Nashville's most accomplished songwriters. (For example, one song on this disk, WE REALLY SHOULDN'T BE DOING THIS, was a hit for George Straight.) There are 16 songs on this disk, and some are certainly better than others, but this is "real country" and not the stuff you hear on so-called "country" music stations. The songs are a good combination of country, blues and honky-tonk. Best of all, there is plenty of twang and more than enough lyrics that tug on your heart.

Though principly known as a songwriter for country artists, Jim Lauderdale has always been a genre buster, fusing elements of country, rock, bluegrass, rhythm and blues, folk, and 70's-style pop into a solid catalog of songs. After several promising but inconsistant (and now out of print) solo albums, Lauderdale finally hit his stride as a performer with "Whisper." "Onward Through It All" Continues to blaze the same trail. The opener "You Just Know" would be at home on a Dwight Yoakam record. The title cut is the definitive Jim Lauderdale song. "Trust (Guiding Star)" will make you lonely for your Grateful Dead records. "We Really Shouldn't Be Doing This" was a hit for George Strait. "Please Be San Antone," "Almost Next to Nothing," and "Still Not Out of the Woods" are also highlights.

It's too bad that country radio won't play the songs on this album. Though with 16 tracks, some of the songs are definitely filler the material, the majority are great solid country music. Trust, Almost Next To Nothing are standouts of a terrific album.

Wow what to say I recently discovered Jim Lauderdale at a live performance at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville TN. Bought this album along with his Ralph Stanley collaboration _I Feel Like Singing Today_ and the more I listen the more I love...

Jim Lauderdale may be the best kept secret in American music today. "Onward Through It All" picks up where his last album, "Whisper" left off. He moves effortlessly from rock to country to bluegrass, always with a melody and lyrics that invite you to sing along. Like all his albums, "Onward Through It All" is meant to be played straight through. The 16 songs meld together to form one great work, ranging from foot-tapping country ("You Just Know") to beautiful harmony ("Lost Sunset" with Julie Miller). This is vintage Lauderdale. And if you like the cd, wait until you see him live.

I'm only writing this because I know nobody ever reads thesethings. But I was listening to Jimmy-jam sing for years before thisalbum -- he's my cousin, and does us the grace of playing at our family reunions. So I suppose I'm a little biased. But I don't even like country music, and I like Jimmy's songs. And I know it's refreshing to hear somebody stick so close to their roots and still be so prograssive.