Reason and Rhyme: Bluegrass Songs by Robert Hunter & Jim Lauderdale

Personnel: Clay Hess (acoustic guitar); Randy Kohrs (resonator guitar); Scott Vestal (banjo); Mike Compton (mandolin); Tim Crouch (fiddle).Audio Mixers: Randy Kohrs; Jay Weaver.Recording information: Slack Key Studio, Nashville, TN.Photographer: Anthony Scarlati.Reason and Rhyme is Jim Lauderdale's second album in a row written in collaboration with songwriter Robert Hunter, best known as one of the Grateful Dead's key lyricists, but don't think they're repeating themselves, as the two records have very different personalities. Released in 2010, Patchwork River was one of Lauderdale's more rock-influenced efforts of recent years, while Reason and Rhyme is a bluegrass set, where Lauderdale embraces the acoustic sounds that have been an increasingly important part of his repertoire. On Patchwork River, Lauderdale seemed willing to shift the curvature of his melodies to fit his collaborator's lyrics, but Reason and Rhyme goes in the opposite direction, as Lauderdale's melodies take the le