Jim Lauderdale

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An intimate solo performance by one of the best and most prolific songwriters of his generationJim Lauderdale Game Changer BioAt any given time, youre likely to find Jim Lauderdale making music, whether hes laying down a new track in the studio or working through a spontaneous melody at his home in Nashville. And if hes not actively crafting new music, hes certainly thinking about it. Its a constant challenge to try to keep making better and better records, write better and better songs. I still always feel like Im a developing artist, he says. This may be a surprising sentiment from a man whos won two Grammys, released 36 full-length albums, and taken home the Americana Music Associations coveted Wagonmaster Award. But his forthcoming album Game Changer is convincing evidence that the North Carolina native is only continuing to hone his craft.Operating under his own label, Sky Crunch Records, for the first time since 2016, Lauderdale recorded Game Changer at the renowned Blackbird Studios in Nashville, co-producing the release with Jay Weaver and pulling from songs hed written over the last several years. Theres a mixture on this record of uplifting songs and, at the same time, songs of heartbreak and despairbecause thats part of life as well, he says. In the country song world especially, thats always been part of it. Thats real life.Lauderdale would know: Hes been a vital part of the country music ecosystem since 1991, when he released his debut album and began penning songs for an impressively long roster of country music greats. When I was a teenager wanting to be a bluegrass banjo player, I never would have imagined that I would get to work with people like Ralph Stanley and Robert Hunter and George Jones and Elvis Costello and John Oates, he muses. Getting to work with them inspires me greatly to this day, and I know it always will.From rollicking guitar riffs on That Kind of Life (That Kind of Day) to the slow, sweet harmonies of Ill Keep My Heart Open For You, Game Changer shows off Lauderdales ingenuity as a singer, songwriter, and producerwhile reestablishing him as one of Americanas most steadfast champions. Country music is constantly evolving, but Ill always have a soft spot in my heart for steel guitar and a Telecaster, he says. I have done my job on this record if people who love classic country feel like they can put it on, or have it in their collection, and it would fit right in.Respecting the past doesnt mean hes not breaking new ground. Were All Weve Got, a co-write with Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris, offers a timely message about healing torn relationships at home and across the world. And Friends Again, a grinning number about rekindling a friendship, is fresh and forward-looking. At every turn, Lauderdales collaborative spirit and genuine love for the creative process reveal themselves in thoughtful, well-crafted songs sure to stand the test of time. When everything works right, its just magical to be able to hear them back, he says. You feel, at least for those three-and-a-half minutes, like life makes

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