Back Roads And Abandoned Motels

11 track collection that showcases Gary Louris’ compositions co-written with Dixie Chicks, Jakob Dylan, Emerson Hart (of Tonic), Ari Hest, Scott Thomas, Carrie Rodriguez and more.

Back Roads and Abandoned Motels is The Jayhawks’ tenth studio album and first for Legacy Recordings. Recorded in two soulful sessions in 2017, Back Roads and Abandoned Motels finds the current incarnation of The Jayhawks – Louris (vocals, acoustic and electric guitars), Marc Perlman (bass), Tim O’Reagan (vocals, drums, percussion), Karen Grotberg (vocals, piano, keyboards), John Jackson (mandolin, violin, acoustic guitar) – expanding the group’s repertoire with 11 new performances of Gary’s songs.

Karen and Tim each sing lead on two songs on the album. Tim performs Gonna Be a Darkness and Long Time Ago while Karen takes lead vocals (for the first time on a Jayhawks album) on the opener, Come Cryin’ to Me (featuring a soulful horn section arranged by David Ralicke) and on El Dorado.