I worked all day, then did some volunteer work
and then spent a lovely evening with friends playing some board games. By all
rights I should call it and hit the sack, but the damned CD Odyssey isn’t going
to dock in Ithaca without me putting my back into the oars a little. So here we
are, and let’s get to rowing.
Disc 1331 is… It’s Not Big It’s Large
Artist:
Lyle Lovett and
his Large Band
Year of Release: 2007
What’s up with the
Cover?
Lyle and his large band look out on what is either a splendid concert hall just
before a rehearsal or a terrible one just before opening night.
How I Came to Know
It: I have been a Lyle Lovett
fan for a long time, so I just bought this album back in 2007 when it came out
assuming it would be good.
How It Stacks Up: I have 11 Lyle Lovett albums which, as far as
I know, is all of them. Of those, “It’s Not Big It’s Large” comes in at #6. I
really like it, but I’ve got a lot of good Lyle Lovett albums.
Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4
When a country singer’s band starts
approaching Glen Miller proportions, it should ordinarily give you pause, but
Lyle Lovett is no ordinary country singer. His albums have long been a mix of
country, soul, gospel, blues and jazz, so if anyone can incorporate a dozen or
so extra musicians into the band and make it work, it’s him.
It can also end up an overblown mess if you
don’t have the right talent but having seen Lovett live I can attest that he
brings with him some of the finest musicians the industry can offer. They’re great
live, and on “It’s Not Big It’s Large” they show they are equally capable in
the studio.
With this many musicians getting the right
producer is important as well, and Lovett’s long-time collaborator (not be
confused as the former owner of the Millennium Falcon) Billy Williams is more
than up to the task. There may be 15 or 16 musicians overall, and while
Williams routinely employs half or more of them on every track, it never seems
crowded. Everything comes in where it is needed, with grace, timing and generosity
of spirit.
I didn’t even mind the very jazzy opening
track “Tickle Toe” which comes dangerously close to a song designed for
nothing more than excessive noodling. There’s definitely too much jazz in the
odyssey on this song, but it somehow reigns things in and gets no crazier than ‘late
night at the Speakeasy’ level. By which I mean, yes, it’s danceable, albeit
only barely, and cheap gin probably helps.
At the other end of the spectrum, “Don’t
Cry a Tear” is slow and simple, propelled by the somber and deliberate
picking pattern on guitar, elevated around the edges by touches of cello, piano
and fiddle. Lovett’s careworn vocals twine through the experience, breaking
your heart even as they comfort you:
“Go if you must go
Turn if you must turn away
Don’t cry a tear for me.”
The record’s standout is somewhere in between,
a mid-tempo ballad called “South Texas Girl.” It is a song of youthful
memory, old country roads and simpler times, as it waltzes its way into your
heart, longing for the undying love of a South Texas girl or failing that just
the simple prayer of the chorus:
“Saint Mother Maria
Watch over us please
As we wander around
In this dangerous world.”
As much as I admire all the big band action of
the record, I like it best on songs like this, where Lovett does less with
more. Lots of instruments, and lots of voices, but each held back, restrained, and
helping you rise up gently into Lyle’s stories.
The devotionals on the album are to be
expected on a Lyle Lovett album, but I prefer them when they are intertwined in
a story such as on “South Texas Girl”. Elsewhere, songs like “I Will Rise
Up” and “Ain’t No More Cane” deliver with honest intentions but tend
to drag a little on repeat listens.
“Make It Happy” appears to be about a
playful spank on the bottom, where the cleverness is Lovett never confirms
where the slap lands. It ends up being a half-measure that doesn’t work, even
when you know the joke.
These are minor quibbles however, and overall
this record was better than I remember it, and worth more of my attention in
the years to come. There is plenty of great material, and some of the finest
players you’ll find in country music, each deferring to the other to ensure the
best overall experience possible.
Best tracks: Don’t Cry a Tear, South Texas Girl, This Traveling
Around, The Alley Song
No comments:
Post a Comment