Whisper

Jim Lauderdale is the rightful heir to the Buck Owens who once swore to country-music tastemakers that he'd tone down the beat of his Buckaroos--and then turned right around and issued a hopped-up version of Chuck Berry's "Memphis." Championed as a writer by the likes of George Strait and Patty Loveless, Lauderdale has yet to score his own much-deserved hits. With Whisper, his fifth record, he moves toward the middle of the road. Even with the blues and soul inflections turned down, though, Lauderdale can't help laying down some of the most tuneful, thoughtful stuff coming out of Nashville. --Rickey Wright