The Hummingbirds

1	Midnight Will Become Day 2:39
2	There and Back Again 3:18
3	I'm Happiest When I'm Moving 3:35
4	It's a Trap 2:52
5	Eternal 2:17
6	Morning 2:24
7	Hummingbird 2:31
8	Let's Not Say It's Over 2:36
9	I Know Better Now 4:10
10	It's Worth Looking Up 2:14
11	Jacob's Ladder 2:53
12	Rollin' the Dice 2:19
13	New Cascade 3:07

Barnes & Noble

Witty, acerbic, sensitive, sometimes even mystical, Jim Lauderdale's original songs on The Hummingbirds celebrate a solitary man's dreams and desires, frustrations and elations. The driving beat propelling the title song, along with the joyous fiddle solos sprinkled throughout, heightens the anticipation of a new season bringing new love. The bright melody and catchy chorus of "Let's Not Say It's Over" are cast in a pop-country mold that underscores the urgency of a plea for reconciliation in a "world getting colder every day." The honky-tonk heartbreaker "I Know Better Now" finds Lauderdale's rich, mountain-inflected voice at its keening best, as he confesses to selfish behavior that deprived him of "the faith, the hope and the love" essential to a fruitful life. The standout country-and-western-flavored track "I'm Happiest when I'm Moving," co-written with Susan Gibson (who wrote the Dixie Chicks' mammoth hit "Wide Open Spaces"), finds Lauderdale singing of a man who breaks up with his gal before she can dump him. He follows that jaundiced view of commitment with another skewed perspective on love, the blunt "It's a Trap," which rides an infectious Texas shuffle beat. After all this heavy emotional sledding, Lauderdale closes things with an upbeat perspective on love in "New Cascade," a gospel-accented bluegrass rave-up featuring Mike Bub of the Del McCoury Band on bass, as well as Tim O'Brien and the folk-rock band Donna the Buffalo. Lauderdale's been a big-time songwriter for years -- George Strait and Patty Loveless are among those who have recorded his tunes -- and the emotive, sturdy songs on The Hummingbirds reinforce the Nashville veteran's position as a cherished solo artist. David McGee

All Music Guide

A consummate Nashville songwriter, Jim Lauderdale has penned hits for folks like George Strait and Patty Loveless over the years, but he has long been underappreciated as a solo artist. One of Lauderdale's songwriting strengths is to craft seemingly simple tunes set around smart but not excessively clever lyrics, and several songs here serve as excellent case studies. On "Morning," he uses the start of the day as a metaphor to gently suggest the possibilities life holds that often slip by "as the afternoon pulls you away." The twangy, jazz-flavored "It's a Trap" utilizes the games cats and mice play to discuss human relationships. The title track, one of the disc's crowning glories, uses hummingbird imagery in a story of love renewed. Lauderdale's voice, while perhaps not slick enough for music row, is full of character and warmth. He can give a suitably rough edge to rocking honky tonk numbers like "There and Back Again" and "Rollin' the Dice," while also projecting a poignancy in the bittersweet ballads "I'm Happiest When I'm Moving" and "I Know Better Now." The disc's bluegrass-flavored closing cut, "New Cascade," creates a natural segue to his Ralph Stanley collaboration, Lost in the Lonesome Pines, an album released simultaneously with The Hummingbirds. The song also highlights Lauderdale's hillbilly roots and demonstrates how he effortlessly synthesizes them into a more country-pop sound. It wouldn't be surprising if more than a tune or two off this stellar effort were recorded by other artists (Kelly Willis has already covered "I Know Better Now"), but Lauderdale deserves to have his splendid original renditions recognized and enjoyed for their own impressive merits. ~ Michael Berick, All Music Guide