CD Odyssey Disc 51: Lyle Lovett

The alternating between random and chosen continues. Today, we play Calvin ball and predetermine which disc is next. I picked this one because it has a remake of the Townes Van Zandt song "Loretta", which was on an album I just recently reviewed.

Disc 51 is...Natural Forces

Artist: Lyle Lovett

Year of Release: 2009

How I Came To Know It: I saw a Lyle Lovett video somewhere back around 1991 for the song "Here I Am", bought an album and have been hooked ever since. This album I saw in Vancouver shopping for CDs with my buddy Spence. It is the new release - it came down to the new Lyle vs. the new Kris Kristoffersen, and Lyle won this round - but Kris will get his due.

How It Stacks Up: I believe I have all of Lyle Lovett's albums. In any case, I have 10. I'd put this one around 8th. Hey - there's a lot of good Lyle out there.

Rating: 3 stars.

Ah Lyle - such a strange and compelling amalgam of super cool, and super goofy. When he is firing on all cylinders, his cool songs are mournful tunes sung with a deep bluesy pathos, and his goofy songs are whimsical, fun and catchy.

With "Natural Forces" he manages one half of the equation. His bluesy mournful, emotional songs are quite strong on this record - I would argue his best on that front of his last 3 records (dating back to 2003). Hence 8th place.

Songs like "Natural Forces" and "Bayou Song" have an honest yearning in them for open spaces, and natural beauty. Lyle is definitely reconnecting with a simpler life, and simpler pleasures. In fact, this record has a fairly strong thread of a yearning for the past, as though Lovett is recognizing how fame can slowly separate an artist from the basic things that matter.

Bayou Song in particular, is an understated emotional piece of music, with words that accompany that slow measured tone well:

There's a spirit that covers a bayou
A surface, quiet and calm
Slow, dark, vertigo water
Swallow me, feed me, float me to a land

Another beautiful track is "Sun and Moon and Stars" which tells the story of a man who has lived for most of his life pushing others away, and is now sitting in a bar, drunk, wishing he had companionship.

Lyle's softer songs like these always have strong arrangements, and they are beautifully and subtly produced (he has been with Producer Billy Williams faithfully since 1986). They take a couple of listens to appreciate, and they are worth it.

...ahem...

Remember how I said earlier that Lyle is at his best when his goofy songs are whimsical, fun and catchy? Well, these ones have only one element - they are catchy. You do not want a goofy, clunky, unfunny song to be catchy.

This album has two - Farmer Brown/Chicken Reel where the chorus is a constant repeat of "I'm gonna choke my chicken". After 3 listens, I still think at least in part, he means for us to think of what you are all thinking of. He could have at least added some variety by throwing in some "I'm gonna spank my monkey" here and there.

The other one is "Pantry" where the supposedly clever line is "Keep It In Your Pantry" - connecting imagery of the kitchen with faithfulness (pantry/pants - get it?)

Both get stuck in your head worse than the Hockey Night In Canada theme song.

The remake of Van Zandt's Loretta is excellent, and very different from Steve Earle's attempt of earlier this year (also excellent).

One other item of note, is the I have always loved Lyle's songwriting. In this album's case, of the 5 tracks I liked the best, only 1 (Natural Forces) is written by Lyle. I am OK with this - just something to note. It shows that when he isn't writing a good track, he is at least picking one.

Throw in a few other fairly strong tracks, and this album grades out at a 3. Could've been better without the goofy tracks, but without the goofy Lyle, we have no emotional balance with the cool Lyle. It is a package deal.

Best tracks: Natural Forces, Bayou Song, Don't You Think I Feel It Too, Sun and Moon and Stars