I caught the Jayhawks on their stop in Atlanta last week and they were just great again. Last time I saw them in 2011 they had reunited with Mark Olson which was a lot of fun (they did a good album then too, but not enough Louris lead for my taste).

The current Jayhawks are again sans-Mark Olson, which I actually prefer at this point. Gary Louris (accompanied perfectly on harmonies by Ed O'Reagan and keyboardist Karen Grotberg) is a wonder of nature on vocals still.

Their new album, Paging Mr. Proust, released last month is very good and they played about half of it. They also played 5-6 from Rainy Day Music (2003), which is one of the alll-time great alt-country/breezy country rock albums (and was sans-Olson also). The Eagles would have loved to have released something after Hotel California that good.

There was plenty of nostalgia for those who loved Blue and Waiting For the Sun 20+ years ago.

If you thought they just weren't nearly as good after the original songwriting duo split, do yourself a favor and grab their digital live album from last year, Live At the Belly Up (get the HQ FLAC version). It is a great $11 investment for some just great Americana music with great melodies, lush playing and harmonies. They even have some extra mando and violin in the mix.

The new studio CD is recommended too, even if it's more diverse and less rootsy. The harmonies are still exquisite.

One reviewer wrote wte "A lot of people appreciate the Jayhawks to this day, but a whole lot more really should" I agree.

Seriously, pull the trigger on the Belly Up show....you won't regret it.

"Live at the Belly Up" (lossless FLAC download):
https://us.7digital.com/artist/the-jayhawks/release/live-at-the-belly-up

[Edited on 7/2/2016 by hotlantatim]