Recorded in two soulful sessions in 2017, Back Roads and Abandoned Motels finds the current incarnation of The Jayhawks--Gary Louris (vocals, acoustic and electric guitars), Marc Perlman (bass), Tim O'Reagan (vocals, drums, percussion), Karen Grotberg (vocals, piano, keyboards), John Jackson (mandolin, violin, acoustic guitar)--expanding the group's repertoire with 11 new performances of Gary's songs. Karen and Tim each sing lead on two songs on the album. Tim performs "Gonna Be a Darkness" and "Long Time Ago" while Karen takes lead vocals (for the first time on a Jayhawks album) on the opener, "Come Cryin' to Me (featuring a soulful horn section arranged by David Ralicke) and on "El Dorado."