Walking among the Living (Epic, 2005)

In the past, he's sung harmony with everyone from Emmylou Harris to Sam Bush and Lyle Lovett. Here, songwriter Jon Randall is set to show that he's more than just a hired writing and harmony hand.

Last year, the soulful singer and Nashville man about town scored both CMA and ACM awards for the Brad Paisley/Alison Krauss duet "Whiskey Lullaby" a song he co-wrote with Bill Anderson. Randall offers his own take on this sorrowful song. For her part, Krauss lends her soothing pipes to the Eagles like "No Southern Comfort." Other guests include Patty Loveless adding harmony to the cheatin' song "I Shouldn't Do This." From the radio-friendly love ballad opener "Baby Won't you Come Home" to his heartfelt homage to his rural roots "In the Country," co-written with Gary Scruggs, Randall is firing on all cylinders here.

The disc closes with Randall's lone cover - a take on Robert Lee Castleman's "My Life," which is a tribute to Randall's bluegrass roots. After a couple of listens, one thing is for sure: this dynamite disc should bring a few more accolades the songwriter's way.