The Dream Players include Elvis picker James Burton, steel veteran Al Perkins, pianist Glen D. Hardin, drummer Ron Tutt and a handful of vocalists headed by the ubiquitous likes of Emmylou Harris and Buddy Miller. But high-profile guests are only window dressing unless the material shines, which in this case it does. Lauderdale, who wrote or co-composed all 10 tracks, taps into a comfy, folksy c&w twang groove that goes down as smooth as the honey in the disc's title. His voice has just enough of a George Jones catch to reference country's classic era while the band plays with graceful classy soul of the pros that they are.

- Hal Horowitz, American Songwriter