| Wait 'til Spring - Jim Lauderdale & Donna The Buffalo | |
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Reviewed by Kathy Coleman
You can never say that any new sound is a "new" direction for Jim Lauderdale, as he's never remained locked into any one style long enough to be defined in stone. But this is never more obvious than when you first listen to his newest CD, Wait 'Til Spring, where he teams up with jam band Donna the Buffalo for yet another new sound and direction for Lauderdale.
Lauderdale is a virtuoso, a craftsman with song lyrics and melodies, capable of writing any style of song and making it sound really cool. He's given us ten brand-new songs here (plus a pretty awesome re-work of the 1995 "That's Not The Way It Works"), each one as cunningly constructed as any of his other familiar tunes (Lauderdale wrote, among many others, "We Really Shouldn't Be Doing This" for George Strait), but with Donna the Buffalo, he is melded to their funky folk style just as handily as he has been to honky-tonk and bluegrass. Lauderdale is the chameleon of the Americana scene -- he can do it all, and it sounds so good it doesn't matter what "kind" of music he's doing.
With nifty tracks like "Some Other Bayou," "Sapphire," and "This World Is Getting Mean," Lauderdale does a good job of pleasing the music fan. He works exceptionally well with Donna and The Buffalo, a definitely groovy band all on their own. Their tight musicianship and superb
backing vocals just make Jim sound even better. Upbeat songs like "Holding Back" and the title track, "Wait 'Til Spring," just continue to add depth and diversity to a clever, quirky little album that never fails to come up enjoyable. They close with a nifty Zydeco-style ditty called "Wowowo", and boy, is this finale worth the trip to hear.
Donna the Buffalo consists of Tom Gilbert on drums, Jed Greenberg on bass, Jim Miller on electric guitar, 12-string, and background vocals, Tara Nevins on fiddle, accordion, scrubboard, percussion, and background vocals, Jeb Puryear on electric guitar and background vocals, and Kathy Ziegler on organ and synthesizer on several tracks. They're also joined by Richie Sterms and Preston Frank. Lauderdale himself plays acoustic guitar and the banjo, and of course lead vocals. Together they lay down a sound that is unique and surefire.
The collaboration of Lauderdale and Donna and the Buffalo isn't strictly a "country" album, but as with many blended musical styles, it forms a terrific sound on its own that isn't strictly anything at all but a little of everything with extremely wide-ranging appeal. Lauderdale may be the least-known country legend in existence, but legend he is, whether one knows his name or not. Like any good trooper, he sticks right in there, producing great music and just being his own fellow. The mainstream might not gobble him up, but those "in the know" can't help but love Lauderdale and his ever-changing sound.
Song List:
Album cover and sound clips courtesy of Dualtone