Jayhawks, The
Aug 1, 2011
The release of "Mockingbird Time" marks the return of the original Jayhawks and their first recording together since 1995! It is also their eighth studio album.
Anchored by the singing and songwriting talents of Gary Louris and Mark Olson, the band's signature sound remains intact and as singular as ever. The other original band members featured on the record include Karen Grotberg (keyboards, vocals), Tim O'Reagan (drums, vocals) and Marc Perlman (bass).
The new release comes on the heels of several pivotal events for The Jayhawks: in 2008, Olson and Louris released an album together called "Ready for the Flood"; their first career-spanning anthology "Music From The North Country" was released in 2009 by American/Legacy; in August 2010, for the first time on CD, the self-titled debut album from the band (often referred to by fans as "The Bunkhouse" album) was reissued by Lost Highway; and in January 2011 the band's first two albums for American Recordings - "Hollywood Town Hall" (1992) and "Tomorrow the Green Grass" (1995) -- were re-released with a wealth of rare bonus tracks.
And now we have "Mockingbird Time" -- produced by Louris. There are several stand-out songs including the title track, "Closer to your Side," "Cinnamon Love," "Pouring Rain at Dawn," "Tiny Arrows" and, of course, "She Walks in so Many Ways." In this, the year of harmonies, it is only fitting that one of the best harmony bands ever return to the forefront.
"Our goal was to make the best Jayhawks album that's ever been done," said Louris. "Mark and I both felt that there was some business left undone and we got together and wrote some great songs."
Olson said, "We were thinking of it in terms of a hopeful look at somebody who has another chance in life. There are different paths you can take. It's not particularly about one person though, we like it when people interpret it to mean different things."
The original Jayhawks line-up shared the stage for the first time in 15+ years in January. The Jayhawks have just wrapped up a series of dates in the Sates and are currently on a month-long tour of Europe and the U.K. They return to the states in September.
For more information, log on to www.jayhawksofficial.com.