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Song of the Day #421: ‘Creeps Like Me’ – Lyle Lovett

iloveeverybodyI Love Everybody was the first Lyle Lovett album that felt like a bit of a let-down. I think that’s because, following the tightly focused and emotional Large Band and Joshua Judges Ruth, this album felt a little too sloppy and a little too much like a lark.

Made up of 18 songs written in the early 80s before he landed his first record deal, I Love Everybody largely abandons the jazz and gospel influences of those previous albums in favor of a simple country style. And at the time of its release, I saw that as a negative.

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Song of the Day #420: ‘Since the Last Time’ – Lyle Lovett

joshuajudgesAnd His Large Band was the album that introduced me to Lyle Lovett, but Joshua Judges Ruth was the first of his albums released after I was already a fan. I find that those are usually important albums in an artist’s discography… two milestones that help shape my fandom.

For instance, if Lovett’s first new album had been a letdown, would my admiration for him have waned? I know I’ve been let down by the first new release of many an artist over the years. In Lovett’s case, no need to worry. Joshua Judges Ruth is as strong, if not stronger, than Large Band.

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Song of the Day #419: ‘Good Intentions’ – Lyle Lovett

largebandLyle Lovett and His Large Band was the album that introduced me to Lyle Lovett. It came to me by way of my brother-in-law, who learned of it from a college friend. You always hold a special place in your heart for the album that first acquaints you with a favorite artist, and Large Band is no exception.

Constructed as a mirror opposite of Pontiac, this album opens with the blues-jazz songs and closes with the country. All are wonderful, but side one is particularly special. Opening instrumental ‘The Blues Walk’ lets you know what you’re in for, putting all of the wonderful musicians through the paces for 2 1/2 minutes of pure swinging pleasure. That song segues into the hilarious ‘Here I Am,’ in which Lovett deadpans spoken-word verses between big shout-along choruses. Here’s my favorite:

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Song of the Day #418: ‘L.A. County’ – Lyle Lovett

pontiacLovett’s second album, 1988’s Pontiac, expanded on the jazz influences he touched on in his debut. In fact, the album is split right down the middle between traditional country songs on the first side and the jazz/blues tunes on the second.

Which side you prefer probably depends on your fondness for country music. I know a certain country-averse commenter here will have a strong preference for side B. And certainly there’s a great case to be made for those songs.

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Song of the Day #417: ‘An Acceptable Level of Ecstasy (The Wedding Song)’ – Lyle Lovett

lylelovettI’m bound to make my regular readers happy with this theme week, which will actually span two weeks and ten albums. I know my sister considers Lyle Lovett her ‘desert island’ artist (though where we’d get batteries for the CD player on this island, I don’t know — I love that moment in Season One of Lost where Hurley’s discman finally runs out on him).

I won’t go so far as to call Lovett my own desert island artist, but he’s definitely in the running. His combination of rootsy instrumentation, jazz flourishes and literate, humorous lyrics — not to mention that world-class voice — puts him in a league of his own. He doesn’t make it to my island because there’s a sameness in his work over the past 20+ years, but if you have to settle on a sound, he couldn’t have picked a better one.

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