They’ve kept busy, but, nevertheless, Mockingbird Time marks a return of sorts, a return to some semblance of a true Jayhawks roster — difficult for a band who’s seen this many changes in personnel. Along with Mark Olson, keyboardist Karen Grotberg returns to the fold, last seen on 2000′s Smile. In so many ways, this is the first real Jayhawks album in some time.

So, what does all this mean for Mockingbird Time? The Jayhawks have always been at their best when balancing elegant, ornamental alt-country with powerful, soulful harmonies and insanely catchy melodies (See: 1992′s Hollywood Town Hall). Abrupt changes, determined song structures, and keen attention to detail make up the best moments in The Jayhawks’ discography. When they hit their stride, they pull off a curious blend of rootsy vitality and singer-songwriter vulnerability. Shaky vocals are eclipsed by CSNY-soaring harmonies over muscled guitars and graceful keys (“Closer to Your Side”, “Cinnamon Love”, and “Black Eyed Susan”).

There’s plenty of that goodness here. But while many of these songs succeed, some performances also feel slightly phoned in. “Hide Your Colors” is one of the more unremarkable album openers in recent memory. “High Water Blues” is an incessant, overstated power-roots romp, and more of an annoyance than anything else. And a few vocals, such as those on “She Walks in So Many Ways” (a song with some pretty weak lyrics, as well) sound the slightest bit flat, as if the shakiness that usually adds to Louris and Olson’s high soaring harmonies actually handicaps them.

Still, many of the songs here remind us of the Jayhawks’ heyday. The few missteps, however, also remind us that they’ve fallen somewhat short of fully capturing that spirit. But for a band that’s been away this long, they do a damn fine job of trying.  Hell, they’re only a few bucks shy.

Essential Tracks: “Closer to Your Side”, “Cinnamon Love”, “Stand Out in the Rain”, and “Black Eyed Susan”

The news comes hot on the heels of a Jayhawks hometown set at the rain-soaked Basilica Block Party on July 10th, and the new reissues – which will be released via Sony Legacy – are said to feature five previously unreleased tracks. Furthermore, Green Grass will be packaged with a second bonus disc not so cryptically titled, The Mystery Demos. It’s not clear how mysterious those demos could possibly be since Sony Legacy just released The Jayhawks Anthology, which includes many of the band’s rarities, B-sides, and a DVD.

Jayhawks co-founder, Gary Louris has said that Hollywood Town Hall and Tomorrow the Green Grass were some of the high points of the band’s career. However, the latter was the last record the band would ever record with singer/songwriter Mark Olson, and the Jayhawks would never be the same. Olson went on to lay down eight solo discs while Louris stayed with the band until they eventually disbanded five albums later in 2005.

Louris – who is supervising the reissues – went on to record solo material of his own, but expressed his sadness regarding the departure of Olson in ’95. Last year, he told Pop Matters that the split with his songwriting partner “wasn’t because we didn’t have any musical ideas. It was because we had too many.” He went on to say that singing the Jayhawks’ tune “Blue” from Tomorrow the Green Grass always made him “think of Mark a little bit.” The song has a lyric that reads, “ It’s hard to sing with someone who won’t sing with you…I ever thought I’d miss you/That I’d miss you so much.”

There are no future Jayhawks shows planned, so anyone looking get nostalgic and wallow in some of the melancholy will have to settle for Olson and Louris’ 2009 joint effort, Ready For the Flood – or pick up Olson’s eighth solo set – Many Colored Kite – next Tuesday, July 27th.

We can look beyond release dates. Fans of The Jayhawks, the alt-country outfit founded by Olson and Louris, have been waiting nearly fourteen years for this album to happen. After the release of The Jayhawks’ Tomorrow the Green Grass, Olson left the band, while Louris continued on as its undisputed leader for another decade. Whispers of a new album between Olson and Louris arose when they went on a short tour together back in ’05.

With producer Chris Robinson (The Black Crowes) behind the controls, the pair finally recorded Ready for the Flood, and the partnership sounds as strong as ever. It seems that Robinson’s agenda was to remind us just how great the voices of these former band mates sound together. Even on the one “rock” number, “Chamberlain, SD”, he has Olson’s and Louris’s voices pushed to the forefront, relegating the electric guitar to the background. This may not work on other records, but it works here.

Separating most of these tracks from standard, acoustic fare are the beautiful harmonies provided by these two old friends, together again. This is what the music and the title of the album encapsulate: a long-lasting partnership that can survive anything. “The house of love still standing” in the opening track, “The Rose Society”, is an answer to any of us who may have questioned whether this reunion would be a successful endeavor.

Once it gets in your head, the chorus of the Dylan-esque “Bicycle” will remain. The convergence of voices by line three of the chorus for “Turn Your Pretty Name Around” is outstanding. The melodies found in “Doves and Stones” will remind you of classic Simon & Garfunkel. But it is in the music of songs such as “My Gospel Song for You” and “Life’s Warm Sheets” that recall the most important music of all: early Jayhawks tunes, featuring Mark Olson and Gary Louris.

There are some missteps along the way. The front half of the record is stronger than the second half, and the spoken-word verses of the final track, “The Trap’s Been Set”, prevent this album from perfection. With that in mind, I don’t believe it was Olson and Louris’s intention to create a flawless masterpiece. What they have created is a very good, calming piece of genuine Americana that sounds timeless. Springsteen will get (deservedly) the most press with his new album this week, but one can only hope Ready for the Flood will get the attention it deserves.

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