Jim Lauderdale

December 7 - 14 , 1 9 9 5

** Jim Lauderdale

EVERY SECOND COUNTS

(Atlantic)

It's frustrating that hundreds of twang-tolerant clubgoers packed the Paradise last month to see stylized country mopers Son Volt, yet only a couple dozen showed up at the Middle East earlier in the week to catch this genuine Nashville oddball. Not that I resent Son Volt's success, but Jim Lauderdale desperately needs to hook their collegiate audience to survive. His combination of tricky pop, old-fashioned blues and soul, and sophisticated country reveals an eccentric Southern talent rooted in the late '60s -- the last time these disparate styles distantly echoed one another. Needless to say, if anybody digs that era, it's today's alterna-babes.

Unfortunately, that doesn't mean they'll ever look his way, especially not on the strength of his new album. Whereas last year's Pretty Close to the Truth was pretty close to a classic, this one is marred by weak tunes patched together with too much sweat and gimmickry. Pretty Close was only his second release in three years, so maybe he felt pressured to deliver quicker. After all, he must know that his major-label time clock is ticking like a bomb.

-- Franklin Soults