Jim Lauderdale had been on the scene for quite a while prior to the release of this album, hanging on the West Coast--where his actual first album was recorded (for Columbia) but never released--and working as a hired gun songwriter for other acts . PLANET OF LOVE marks one of the first records of the "new" country movement, a less commercial more craftsmanship oriented style. In many ways, PLANET OF LOVE is the 1990s (post-cocaine) version of outlaw country--it wilfully avoids anyone one location stylistically, but its roots are clear. While folks like Rodney Crowell had been knocking at country radio's door prior to PLANET OF LOVE, the album remains one of the first Americana records to land, kicking off Lauderdale's eclectic but consistently interesting recording career.|

Rovi