JIM LAUDERDALE & THE DREAM PLAYERS > Honey Songs

The Dream Players include Elvis picker James Burton, steel veteran Al Perkins, pianist Glen D. Hardin, drummer Ron Tutt and a handful of backing vocalists headed by the ubiquitous likes of Emmylou Harris and Buddy Miller. But high-profile guests are only window dressing unless the material shines, which in this case it does.

Videos by American Songwriter

Label: Yep Roc
[Rating: 3 1/2 STARS]

The Dream Players include Elvis picker James Burton, steel veteran Al Perkins, pianist Glen D. Hardin, drummer Ron Tutt and a handful of backing vocalists headed by the ubiquitous likes of Emmylou Harris and Buddy Miller. But high-profile guests are only window dressing unless the material shines, which in this case it does. Lauderdale, who wrote or co-composed all 10 tracks, taps into a comfy, folksy c&w twang groove that goes down as smooth as the honey in the disc’s title. His voice has just enough of a George Jones catch to reference country’s classic era while the band plays with the graceful classy soul of the pros that they are.

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