Can there be too much of a good thing? If the question's about collaboration between American roots music hero Jim Lauderdale and legendary lyricist Robert Hunter, the answer's an emphatic "no!" Marking the former's debut on the respected Sugar Hill records label, Reason And Rhyme makes a compelling case for the continued vitality of the Lauderdale—Hunter partnership—and for Lauderdale's unique and deeply satisfying approach to bluegrass.

"This one's back to total bluegrass," Lauderdale says of the collaborative follow-up to 2010's electric Patchwork River, and so it's no surprise that it features many of the musicians involved in previous bluegrass efforts like Could We Get Any Closer (2009) and 2007's Grammy-winning The Bluegrass Diaries. The close-knit crew, headed up by producer and resonator guitarist Randy Kohrs, is perfectly in tune with Lauderdale's 'grass-with-a-twist sensibilities, and whether it's a return buddy like bassist Jay Weaver or new colleague Mike Compton (mandolin), each player delivers mightily with the genre's characteristic virtuosity and emotional fire.

"We started on this one last August," Lauderdale notes, "right after I finished touring with Elvis Costello. Robert and I have worked just about every way you can think of—writing in the same room, adding lyrics to music and music to lyrics—but whichever way we go, he's the lyrics guy and I'm the music guy. This time around, we wanted to keep the momentum from Patchwork River going; I started sending him melodies, and ten days later we had 18 songs to choose from."

The collaboration began over a decade ago, when Lauderdale was preparing for his first joint project with bluegrass patriarch Ralph Stanley, and quickly bore fruit, with more than 30 songs written before the first all-collaborative album, Headed For The Hills (2004). "I'm not surprised, but I'm always blown away how creative he is lyrically," says the singer/songwriter, who's busy enough that finding time to record has always been among his greatest challenges.

With 11 fresh takes on the bluegrass sound that he's loved since he was a teenager, this latest effort presents Jim Lauderdale at his most relaxed and rooted—and with the help of one of American music's greatest lyricists, it's a set that offers not only deep musicality, but deep meaning and vision. Reason And Rhyme—it's just the right name for just the right music.

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