Jim Laudersale and Elvis Costello play Robert Hunter’s “High Timberline”

Jim Lauderdale will release the new studio album Reason And Rhyme on June 21 via Sugar Hill records. The album is a collaboration with longtime Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter. Lauderdale first approached Hunter about writing a set of lyrics for his collaborations with Ralph Stanley on 2004’s Headed For The Hills. Hunter also wrote lyrics for Lauderdale’s 2010 release Patchwork River.

“This one’s back to total bluegrass,” Lauderdale said in a statement. “We started on this one last August—right after I finished touring with Elvis Costello. Robert and I have worked just about every way you can think of—writing in the same room, adding lyrics to music and music to lyrics—but whichever way we go, he’s the lyrics guy and I’m the music guy. This time around, we wanted to keep the momentum from Patchwork River going; I started sending him melodies, and ten days later we had 18 songs to choose from.”

Lauderdale will appear at the Old Settler’s Music Festival in Driftwood, TX this Saturday.