New Records and Lyle's Large Band

#8 Lyle Lovett: Lyle Lovett and His Large Band

Today was my unofficial 'record store day' with my friend Adam.  We set out this morning around 10:00 and first checked out Record and Tape Exchange in Fairfax. Nothing too exciting there today, the store usually is hit or miss. I came very close to buying a Huey Lewis record...on second thought, maybe I should go back for that one. The next store on the agenda was Blue Groove Soundz in Arlington.  We had planned on hitting a few other stores, but after Blue Groove, there was no need. This store was amazing. Tons of records, an amazing selection, and some very rare finds. After passing on an overpriced copy of the Chili Peppers classic "Blood Sugar Sex Magic," I settled for two records that should help add some twang to my collection. First is an Ernest Tubb tribute style album, which features many artists (Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson...) covering Ernest Tubb songs in their own style, often in duets with E.T. Hopefully that'll get a listen pretty soon, for now its just waiting in the queue. Which reminds me, "queue" is the only five letter word, that if you remove four of the letters, its still pronounced the same.  Anyway...the second record purchased today is another from my musical past. Its an album that reminds me of evenings at home in Westminster, or happy hours down in Ocean City.

Lyle Lovett and His Large Band was released in 1989 and features quite a range of music. From blues, to big band, to country, Lyle leaves no stone unturned as he showcases his musical roots in 41 enjoyable minutes.

Side One begins with a great introduction. "The Blues Walk" doesn't bring Lyle to the forefront of the album but instead focuses on "His Large Band," which uses just over two minutes to announce what they have come to offer, solid beats, big brass and a lively sound. From there, Lyle makes his presence known in the entertaining and very catchy "Here I Am." The song is a mix of funny dialogs between Lyle and the listener and big chorus's that make your toe tap no matter how hard you might fight it.  The next track, "Cryin' Shame" is all about some solid guitar playing. The song is anchored by the blues that features some great clean electric guitar pickin'. "Good Intentions" brings back the entertaining lyrics from the second track and tells us about a woman who 'wasn't good, but had good intentions.' The song is very mellow, featuring brushed drums, piano, and a dueling solo between a jazzy electric and folky acoustic guitar.  The interplay between the guitars is definitely the high point of the song. On "I Know You Know," a similar formula to the last track is used again. This time the guitar solos are substituted with a horn section that provides a very laid back atmosphere. This is cocktail music for sure. The first half concludes with "What Do You Do/The Glory of Love." The Large Band is again at its finest but this time, we get dueling lead vocals, Lyle and Francine Reed. The first side is dominated by big band swing, but don't get too used to it, things are about to change.

Side Two finds Lyle moving back to his country side. "I Married Her Just Because She Looks Like You," features great steel guitar and a standard country beat. Even the theme of misguided love is found here in grand country fashion. Wait...didn't he marry Julia Roberts?  Something tells me this song was not a premonition. Next, is a cover of a country classic, Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man." Unfortunately for those of us who remember the movie "GoldenEye," we can't help but recall a crappy Russian accented karaoke version of this song. For those who don't have that stuck in their head's, this is a great cover and remains faithful to the original in every way, with the exception of the obvious lack of a female lead vocalist. "Which Way Does That Old Pony Run," stays country and once again gives us the standard country beat with steel guitar. The next song is a ballad which finds Lyle singing at his mellowest. With piano and acoustic guitar, the song is really a showcase for Lyle's sing/songwriter side, and it does a fantastic job of it. "If You Were to Wake Up" is a good song, but does feel as if its been done before on this album. But this time the formula includes fiddle!  The album concludes with "Once is Enough" which ties together some musical themes from the whole album, a little country, swing, folk and even jazzy guitar are featured, a perfect capstone for the musical journey that is "Lyle Lovett and His Large Band."

Strongest Song: I Married Her Because She Looks Like You
Weakest Song: Nobody Knows Me (and it ain't that bad)
Song You Know: Here I Am (maybe)
Why You Might Hate It: You likes records that fit your neat little categories.
Buy It?  I think its a vinyl must, but I would imagine a CD would suffice in most cases.