Jim Lauderdale and the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys

The Birds Know

Sky Crunch Records

As a boy, Jim Lauderdale sang in the South Carolina church in which his mom directed the choir and played the organ, and his dad was the minister. Both were singers as well. Family, faith, and the values instilled while growing up in the South have permeated Lauderdale’s music ever since. Although bluegrass was an initial inspiration by way of Dr. Ralph Stanley, a glance at Lauderdale’s associations reveals a man wide-open to practically anything. He has played with, and written songs with and for, such disparate artists as Stanley (with whom he won a Grammy in 2002 for their album Lost in the Lonesome Pines), Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, hill country blues band the North Mississippi Allstars, the Dixie Chicks, and Elvis Costello, and many others. As a result, he has rightly earned the twin epithets “a songwriter’s songwriter” and “Mr. Americana.” The entirely charming The Birds Know is Jim Lauderdale’s 39th album and his second collaboration with traditional bluegrassers, the Po’ Rambin’ Boys.

The Birds Know presents ten sparkling, irresistible bluegrass songs bursting with love, struggles, hope, humor, reason, and ultimately, reminders of what matters most in life. Lauderdale sings in a clear, even-toned tenor and the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys—mandolinist/vocalist C.J. Lewandowski, fiddler/vocalist Max Silverstein, banjoist/vocalist Jereme Brown, guitarist/vocalist John Gooding, and bassist Jasper Lorentzen—play and sing with down-home, hot-as-a-cornbread-skillet expertise.

The foot-stomping hillbilly silliness of “Two Crows” sets a scene of a farmer’s worry as seen through black, knowing eyes. But while rain may be elusive, the simple, grand fortune presented by the beautiful land results in bliss, nonetheless. Then in “We Look at Things in Different Ways,” Lauderdale tackles America’s deep and disturbing socio-political divisiveness by singing cheerily about respecting each other’s viewpoints, loving each other no matter the position, and generally just lightening up. The jaunty, beautiful melody and thoughts make quite a refreshing impact.

One of the qualities of a great songwriter is an appreciation for the fine works of others. Lauderdale offers a boost to two fellow artists here. “Little Bitty Diamonds,” by the Grammy-nominated country songwriter Odie Blackmon, fits the album’s overall narrative ideally, Blackmon using diamonds as a metaphor for the tears a lady needlessly sheds. Lauderdale’s tender reading of the song soothes. Louisiana country singer/songwriter Sara Douga receives her due through a rendition of her gently monumental, “You Wanted Mountains from Me,” which exemplifies with grace the desire for the impossible.

The title song, again using the metaphor of crows as keen observers, places the spotlight on a couple’s imperfect life, suggesting through insightful lyrics and bluesy bluegrass music that only the birds know of the pain, and its genesis. “Don’t Look Down,” also from a bird’s perspective, proposes that we only look up at the goodness of life (“There is blue sky above the clouds, and while you’re there, don’t look down”). The Birds Know does indeed lift the spirits—most excellent bluegrass music does. But Jim Lauderdale & The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys share a special chemistry on these beautiful songs that makes that sensation feel much sunnier.

Tom Clarke for MAS

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