Hear Jim’s cheerful new single, “That Kind Of Life (That Kind Of Day),” now at this link

In a flurry of steel guitar and raucous drum beats, Americana renaissance man Jim Lauderdalekicks off Game Changer—his 35th full-length album—with “That Kind Of Life (That Kind Of Day),” a rollicking ode to what Jim calls “the sentiment and wishes for others to have a good life.” Lauderdale had the instrumental twin guitar/steel hook in his head when he sat down to write “That Kind Of Life.” “For some reason, the first line—‘When a baby tastes a little bit of sunshine, hits their legs kicks and bounces up and down, Grins and laughs and everything is so fine, We wanna keep em’ that way for a while’—just tumbled out, I wasn’t really sure where it was going but that image popped into my head and I went with it,” he says. The rest of the verses followed and Lauderdale topped it all off with a call-to-action of sorts in the chorus. The resulting tune is a breezy, windows-down country journey, willing listeners to have that kind of feeling “Where things will go a little more their way.”

Fans can listen to “That Kind Of Life (That Kind Of Day)” now at this link and pre-order or pre-save Game Changer ahead of its August 26th release right here. A list of Lauderdale’s US tour dates can be found below or at jimlauderdalemusic.com.

In addition to the exciting news of Lauderdale’s new album, he’s also just been named a 2022 nominee for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Lauderdale, along with eleven other of his contemporaries, will be celebrated at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala in October where the Class of 2022 Hall of Fame inductees will be announced.

More About Game Changer:

Operating under his own label, Sky Crunch Records, for the first time since 2016, Lauderdale recorded Game Changer at the renowned Blackbird Studios in Nashville, co-producing the release with Jay Weaver and pulling from songs he’d written over the last several years. “There’s a mixture on this record of uplifting songs and, at the same time, songs of heartbreak and despair—because that’s part of life as well,” he says. “In the country song world especially, that’s always been part of it. That’s real life.”

From rollicking guitar riffs on “That Kind of Life (That Kind of Day)” to the slow, sweet harmonies of “I’ll Keep My Heart Open For You,” Game Changer shows off Lauderdale’s ingenuity as a singer, songwriter, and producer—while re-establishing him as one of Americana’s most steadfast champions. “Country music is constantly evolving, but I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for steel guitar and a Telecaster,” he says. “I have done my job on this record if people who love classic country feel like they can put it on, or have it in their collection, and it would fit right in.”

Respecting the past doesn’t mean he’s not breaking new ground. “We’re All We’ve Got,” a co-write with Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris, offers a timely message about healing torn relationships at home and across the world. And “Friends Again,” a grinning number about rekindling a friendship, is fresh and forward-looking. At every turn, Lauderdale’s collaborative spirit and genuine love for the creative process reveal themselves in thoughtful, well-crafted songs sure to stand the test of time. “When everything works right, it’s just magical to be able to hear them back,” he says. “You feel, at least for those three-and-a-half minutes, like life makes sense.”

For a full list of tour dates and ticket information, please visit jimlauderdalemusic.com.

More About Jim Lauderdale:

Credit: Scott Simontacch

At any given time, you’re likely to find Jim Lauderdale making music, whether he’s laying down a new track in the studio or working through a spontaneous melody at his home in Nashville. And if he’s not actively crafting new music, he’s certainly thinking about it. “It’s a constant challenge to try to keep making better and better records, write better and better songs. I still always feel like I’m a developing artist,” he says. This may be a surprising sentiment from a man who’s won two Grammys, released 34 full-length albums, and taken home the Americana Music Association’s coveted Wagonmaster Award. But his forthcoming album Game Changer is convincing evidence that the North Carolina native is only continuing to hone his craft.