Patchwork can refer to a collection of incongruous pieces, parts not necessarily united into a whole. But sometimes, in the hands of great craftsmen and women, those parts merge into a thing of beauty and warmth. Patchwork... more » River weaves together the lyrical mastery of Robert Hunter (Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan) and the songcraft of Grammy Award-winning artist Jim Lauderdale into something greater than the sum of its considerable parts.
Jim is doing it the slow way. He never got the lucky breaks that shoot one performer to the top while hundreds of equal or greater merit slog around playing bars, releasing streetwise records that provide songs for others to cover. But doing it the hard way is where soul comes from, not the manufactured kind but the real thing. We all know this by heart, we ve seen the movie. Well, Jim is a movie of his own. I m proud to call him a friend and I know what I say is true. This man has what it takes. If you don t like country with a humble jolt of human soul, leave him alone. - Robert Hunter on Jim Lauderdale
Robert has been a master for a long time now. He s one of the greatest writers that has ever lived in my book. He says things in songs that have never been said before. He paints pictures that have never been seen. I can t believe that I ever got to meet him, much less work with him. He s a world class genius. Jim Lauderdale on Robert Hunter« less
Patchwork can refer to a collection of incongruous pieces, parts not necessarily united into a whole. But sometimes, in the hands of great craftsmen and women, those parts merge into a thing of beauty and warmth. Patchwork River weaves together the lyrical mastery of Robert Hunter (Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan) and the songcraft of Grammy Award-winning artist Jim Lauderdale into something greater than the sum of its considerable parts.
Jim is doing it the slow way. He never got the lucky breaks that shoot one performer to the top while hundreds of equal or greater merit slog around playing bars, releasing streetwise records that provide songs for others to cover. But doing it the hard way is where soul comes from, not the manufactured kind but the real thing. We all know this by heart, we ve seen the movie. Well, Jim is a movie of his own. I m proud to call him a friend and I know what I say is true. This man has what it takes. If you don t like country with a humble jolt of human soul, leave him alone. - Robert Hunter on Jim Lauderdale
Robert has been a master for a long time now. He s one of the greatest writers that has ever lived in my book. He says things in songs that have never been said before. He paints pictures that have never been seen. I can t believe that I ever got to meet him, much less work with him. He s a world class genius. Jim Lauderdale on Robert Hunter
"Everything that is stated in the product description is true. I am so glad that Jim Lauderdale and Robert Hunter continue to work together. I think Jim is the best outlet nowadays for Hunter's works. The recent Hunter?Bob Dylan collaboration turned out kind of weak, and the various Dead-related projects can't seem to get it together enough to get very many new Hunter songs recorded. Jim Lauderdale is a very prolific artist with a wide range of styles and a very high quality standard. I believe he does Hunter the most justice. He is one of the greatest songwriters on his own, and it is a dream to see him making such delightful albums with Hunter.
Unlike Headed for the Hills, this album has hard country rock (Patchwork River), motownish-stuff (Louisville Roll and Good Together), Mississippi swamp-funk (Jawbone), a Neil Young style country ballad (Tall Eyes), catchy old-style country (Turn To Stone), and a lot more! I've only had the album a few days, so I haven't fully explored everything yet. All of the lyrics I have heard a very intriguing, and come from those special places that Hunter is so good at finding.
Standout tracks to me include: Patchwork River, Good Together, Louisville Roll, Turn to Stone, Alligator Alley, Up My Sleeve,and the whole rest of the album too. Upon each listen new elements of the songs keep popping up. I've been listening to this album quite a bit over the last couple of weeks, and it is always a captivating experience.
I hope that these two masters continue to work together long into the future.
My favorite album to come along in a long time!
(P.S. - I cannot wait for the arrival of the new Seven Walkers album with songs penned by Hunter, Papa Mali, and Bill Kreutzmann - that should be a treat!)"
"Shut the Door and Pull Up a Cat"
Azulito | San Francisco, CA | 05/29/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Among other things this is a great rock'n'roll record. Half of the songs are uptempo rockers, and Lauderdale and company delve into a number of styles as they rock, including a nice Memphis feel on a couple of songs. Lauderdale always attracts great musicians to work with him and this album is no exception: the leaed guitarists include James Burton and Kenny Vaughan. The album is the second collaboration between Lauderdale and Robert Hunter, but the first album was pretty much all acoustic (only one conspicuously electric song) while this album sounds like it could have been recorded in Muscle Shoals or Memphis.
The songs are great. As with the earlier collaboration, Lauderdale and Hunter create a world peopled by southern folkloric figures, almost like tales from Uncle Remus. This is definitely my favorite album of 2010 up to this point."
Lauderdale + Hunter= Magic
John F. Lishok III | Factoryville, Pa. United States | 06/18/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The second collaboration between Jim Lauderdale and Robert Hunter is a magnificent example of what brilliant artists can accomplish when they get together. Their first collaboration, Headed For The Hills, was a bluegrass oriented release. Patchwork River has a mix of country, blues, R&B. The music, Lauderdale's voice and Hunter's imaginative lyrics provide for a great listening experience. Hopefully this is not the last time these two artists will collaborate. I hope this release can gain steam and be heard by a wider audience. Get the word out!"
A future classic today
Scotthobby | Vienna, VA | 06/17/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Jim Lauderdale has been regarded as a singer's singer with artistic integrity for a long time. I have listened to most of his records and think he has created his best work with Patchwork River. To give you points of reference, this music calls to mind Workingman's Dead, Tupelo Honey, The Band, and a handful of other classics that always sound fresh and vital no matter how often you hear them. This is not to say that this record sounds like or imitates any of them, just that it resonates like them. He draws on many streams of American music to create an American classic for the ages. I bet it sounds fresh 40 years from now. Listen to some samples and you will hear what I mean."
The best country singer today?
almost slim | london, england United Kingdom | 06/08/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I first came across Jim Lauderdale on Tab Benoit's Brother to the Blues. He had written two great songs on that album. I then bought his Country Super Hits album which is great although I don't think there are any chart hits on it. This latest Patchwork River is as good. Carefully crafted melodies that sound like classics even on first hearing. He could be the best country singer today."