Jim Lauderdale's official discography begins with his 1991 album
Planet of Love, but he had at least two other albums in the can at that point that hadn't been released. A short-lived deal with
CBS resulted in an LP called
Point of No Return that finally came out in 2001, and in 1979,
Lauderdale decided to pay a visit to visit to one of his musical heroes, mandolin picker
Roland White, who had played with
the Kentucky Colonels and
the Nashville Grass.
White became a mentor to the 22-year-old
Lauderdale, and realizing the kid had talent,
White arranged to cut an album with him in
Earl Scruggs' home studio with a band that included
Marty Stuart on guitar,
Gene Wooten on Dobro,
Johnny Warren on fiddle, and of course
White on mandolin.
Lauderdale couldn't find a label to release the album, and the tapes were thought to be lost until 2017, and now
Lauderdale's first first album has finally seen the light of day.
Jim Lauderdale & Roland White is a straightforward bluegrass session without a lot of frills, but there's plenty of talent on board. At 22,
Lauderdale was a already a strong and personable singer, and he delivers these songs with an engaging warmth and solid technique.
White's mandolin isn't always high up enough in the mix to merit his co-star billing, but when he comes to the fore he more than delivers, and his harmonies with
Lauderdale are in the best close-harmony bluegrass tradition. And though there are plenty of bluegrass standards in the set list,
Lauderdale and
White also take chances on
Donovan's "Try and Catch the Wind" and
Gordon Lightfoot's "(That's What You Get) For Loving Me" and make them shine in these acoustic interpretations, while
Lauderdale's two originals, "Forgive and Forget" and "Regrets and Mistakes," demonstrate he was already a songwriter to watch.
Jim Lauderdale & Roland White is something short of a lost classic, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable set of contemporary bluegrass circa 1979 with great singing and even better picking, and
Lauderdale's pride in this lost session is more than justified -- he might have become a bluegrass star if this had come out the year it was recorded. ~ Mark Deming
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