Tag Archives: Pontiac

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Song of the Day #6,685: ‘Give Back My Heart’ – Lyle Lovett

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1987…

#7 – Pontiac – Lyle Lovett

I discovered Lyle Lovett in the early 90s and immediately fell for his unique blend of country, blues, swing, and jazz. His songs are equal parts wit and wisdom, toe-tapping and introspective.

My favorite Lovett albums are three he released between 1989 and 1996: Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, Joshua Judges Ruth, and The Road to Ensenada. But 1987’s Pontiac contains the seeds of everything that makes those albums wonderful, and is a brilliant collection in its own right.

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Song of the Day #6,542: ‘Simple Song’ – Lyle Lovett

If you had told me 20 years ago that one day more than 20 percent (seven out of 30) of my ’30 Greatest Living American Songwriters’ would be from the Country/Country Adjacent category, I’d have called you crazy. But here we are.

Several of these artists would be more accurately labeled as Americana or country folk, but they all got their start very much in the traditional country space. And when a great songwriter taps into the emotional directness of the genre, special things happen.

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Song of the Day #3,283: ‘She’s No Lady’ – Lyle Lovett vs. Bruce Springsteen

Arguments about artist selection, seeding and who should beat who aside, this Montauk Madness bracket system ultimately works, producing plenty of heavyweight matchups already.

Lyle Lovett vs. Bruce Springsteen is a doozy, pitting two of the best songwriters and lyricists I’ve ever heard against each other in just the second round.

Springsteen got here by dispatching John Mellencamp in a unanimous vote, while Lovett came close to his own sweep, besting Elliott Smith with 89%. Continue reading →

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Song of the Day #1,947: ‘She’s Hot to Go’ – Lyle Lovett

pontiacMy sister has long named Lyle Lovett as her desert island artist (with the rather fanciful prerequisite that all of his future material would be delivered to the island as well).

Given Lovett’s spotty output over the last decade, that “future material” provision might not count for much anymore, but that doesn’t diminish the extraordinary quality of his first several albums.

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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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