I know that Christian and perhaps a few others here are Lovett fans, so perhaps it's time for a thread devoted to his new recording, which releases on Lost Highway next week. It's split between originals and covers, and apparently it's a much smaller-scale and intimate affair than his last Large Band outing. The BBC has an early review that calls it his best in years.
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Lyle Lovett - Natural Forces
Started by
Josh Hurst
, Oct 14 2009 11:30 AM
16 replies to this topic
#1
Josh Hurst
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Let's all just pray on it for a while.
Posted 14 October 2009 - 11:30 AM
#2
Jason Panella
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"I like the quiet."
Posted 14 October 2009 - 05:39 PM
Lovett fan here!
That said, I'm a casual one, and I'm looking to pick up a few more of his albums. Maybe I can start here.
That said, I'm a casual one, and I'm looking to pick up a few more of his albums. Maybe I can start here.
#3
Christian
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Posted 14 October 2009 - 07:28 PM
That's funny, Jason. I've felt tapped out on Lovett for some time now. I see his CDs on my shelf here at home, but just can't bring myself to listen to them. His music is great -- but I just ... I don't know. I need my interest to be rekindled, I guess. I've argued elsewhere that Lovett ought to do a gospel album, but so far, he's failed to heed my advice.
Thanks for posting about the upcoming release, Josh.
Thanks for posting about the upcoming release, Josh.
#4
Josh Hurst
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Let's all just pray on it for a while.
Posted 14 October 2009 - 09:44 PM
I really enjoyed the It's Not Big, It's Large album from a few years back. Not a gospel album by any stretch, but a very spirited outing, I think.
#5
Josh Hurst
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Let's all just pray on it for a while.
Posted 20 October 2009 - 09:11 AM
If you're at all a Lyle Lovett fan, you're probably going to really enjoy this one. It's not a departure by any means, but rather something that sounds like quintessential Lovett. Half the songs are originals, and they're generally very upbeat and slyly funny. The rest are covers, most of them lesser-known, and they're all winners. Musically, it's a smaller-scale album than the last one, very country-oriented and based in small-group performances. As the BBC reviewer notes, the interplay between the musicians, particularly fiddle and steel guitar, is remarkable. All said, it's one of his best albums ever.
#6
Kenny
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Posted 20 October 2009 - 12:03 PM
It's on sale at amazonmp3. $3.99 for another day or two.
I was really surprised at how much I disliked this album. Some of the songs are great, but some of them hurt my ears. I particularly dislike that song about choking his chicken. Although, I've only ever been a casual Lovett fan, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
I was really surprised at how much I disliked this album. Some of the songs are great, but some of them hurt my ears. I particularly dislike that song about choking his chicken. Although, I've only ever been a casual Lovett fan, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
#7
draper
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Posted 20 October 2009 - 12:05 PM
It was a 3.99 download yesterday. I got it and gave it a quick listen. I Like what I heard. I'm looking forward to a more detailed listen.
#8
Christian
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Posted 30 October 2009 - 12:37 PM
Christian, on 14 October 2009 - 07:28 PM, said:
I've felt tapped out on Lovett for some time now. I need my interest to be rekindled, I guess.
What better way to rekindle my interest in Lovett than to, ya know, listen to his music? That's what I'm doing right now, listening to his Live in Texas CD from the library. I don't believe I've heard this one before, although I've heard all the songs off the studio albums. In any event, it sounds ... fresh, and "new" in a sense.
Maybe I'll pick up Natural Forces after all.
#10
Christian
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Posted 09 June 2010 - 12:22 PM
I've posted elsewhere on this board that I think Natural Forces is a fine, if unessential, Lovett CD, but I wanted to highlight one of the song choices that really grabbed me. Lovett covers Sun and Moon and Stars on this CD. Maybe that title doesn't mean anything to you. It didn't to me, either, until I heard the song and realized, "Hey, I LOVE this song!"
I first heard it in college, on a Nanci Griffith CD -- the only one of hers I ever bought. It was supposed to be her breakout album, more commercial than her previous work. I didn't know of her work at the time (early 1990s, IIRC) and, thinking of her as a singer/songwriter, hadn't realized until now that this song is not Griffith's, but was written by Vince Bell.
The trouble with song interpretations is that, once you've responded to one interpretation, it becomes the standard against which other interpretations are measured. Lovett's take on the tune is quite good, but it doesn't stir me the way Griffith's verion did.
I heard at the time I owned that Griffith CD that it was "overproduced," and maybe that was/is true. But if memory serves, Sun and Moon and Stars was the best song on that CD. It's one of the best on Lovett's CD, too.
I first heard it in college, on a Nanci Griffith CD -- the only one of hers I ever bought. It was supposed to be her breakout album, more commercial than her previous work. I didn't know of her work at the time (early 1990s, IIRC) and, thinking of her as a singer/songwriter, hadn't realized until now that this song is not Griffith's, but was written by Vince Bell.
The trouble with song interpretations is that, once you've responded to one interpretation, it becomes the standard against which other interpretations are measured. Lovett's take on the tune is quite good, but it doesn't stir me the way Griffith's verion did.
I heard at the time I owned that Griffith CD that it was "overproduced," and maybe that was/is true. But if memory serves, Sun and Moon and Stars was the best song on that CD. It's one of the best on Lovett's CD, too.
Edited by Christian, 09 June 2010 - 12:23 PM.
#11
Andy Whitman
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Posted 09 June 2010 - 02:08 PM
Christian, on 09 June 2010 - 12:22 PM, said:
I've posted elsewhere on this board that I think Natural Forces is a fine, if unessential, Lovett CD, but I wanted to highlight one of the song choices that really grabbed me. Lovett covers Sun and Moon and Stars on this CD. Maybe that title doesn't mean anything to you. It didn't to me, either, until I heard the song and realized, "Hey, I LOVE this song!"
I first heard it in college, on a Nanci Griffith CD -- the only one of hers I ever bought. It was supposed to be her breakout album, more commercial than her previous work. I didn't know of her work at the time (early 1990s, IIRC) and, thinking of her as a singer/songwriter, hadn't realized until now that this song is not Griffith's, but was written by Vince Bell.
The trouble with song interpretations is that, once you've responded to one interpretation, it becomes the standard against which other interpretations are measured. Lovett's take on the tune is quite good, but it doesn't stir me the way Griffith's verion did.
I heard at the time I owned that Griffith CD that it was "overproduced," and maybe that was/is true. But if memory serves, Sun and Moon and Stars was the best song on that CD. It's one of the best on Lovett's CD, too.
I first heard it in college, on a Nanci Griffith CD -- the only one of hers I ever bought. It was supposed to be her breakout album, more commercial than her previous work. I didn't know of her work at the time (early 1990s, IIRC) and, thinking of her as a singer/songwriter, hadn't realized until now that this song is not Griffith's, but was written by Vince Bell.
The trouble with song interpretations is that, once you've responded to one interpretation, it becomes the standard against which other interpretations are measured. Lovett's take on the tune is quite good, but it doesn't stir me the way Griffith's verion did.
I heard at the time I owned that Griffith CD that it was "overproduced," and maybe that was/is true. But if memory serves, Sun and Moon and Stars was the best song on that CD. It's one of the best on Lovett's CD, too.
#12
Christian
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Posted 29 August 2011 - 06:53 PM
So I'm going to see the man himself tomorrow night a Wolf Trap.
Weather forecast: Mostly Clear
Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 60s. Southeast winds around 5 mph...becoming south...
Should be a lovely evening.
Weather forecast: Mostly Clear
Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 60s. Southeast winds around 5 mph...becoming south...
Should be a lovely evening.
#13
Christian
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Posted 18 February 2012 - 06:38 AM
Josh, Andy, Thom: Any of you had a chance to listen to Release Me? Amazon just told me that I "might like to know" about this Feb. 28 release. Its product description:
Four-time Grammy award winner Lyle Lovett returns with his new album, Release Me. The album highlights Lovett's signature mix of country, jazz, pop and vintage Americana and includes performances from k.d. lang, Kat Edmonson and Sara & Sean Watkins. Along with multiple self-penned originals, Release Me also features Lyle's take on classic songs such as: "Release Me", "White Freightliner", "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" and the new single, "Isn't That So"
Four-time Grammy award winner Lyle Lovett returns with his new album, Release Me. The album highlights Lovett's signature mix of country, jazz, pop and vintage Americana and includes performances from k.d. lang, Kat Edmonson and Sara & Sean Watkins. Along with multiple self-penned originals, Release Me also features Lyle's take on classic songs such as: "Release Me", "White Freightliner", "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" and the new single, "Isn't That So"
Edited by Christian, 18 February 2012 - 06:39 AM.
#14
Josh Hurst
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Let's all just pray on it for a while.
Posted 23 February 2012 - 08:26 AM
Christian, I got a copy of Release Me yesterday. Too early to say just how good I think it is, but I feel confident saying that if you've ever liked a Lovett album, you'll probably enjoy this one. The material may seem, at first, to be a bit of a hodgepodge-- there are covers, originals, holiday songs, folk numbers, honky tonkers, blues, etc.-- but there's a loose quality to it that appeals to me more than the lovely (if a bit too muted) Natural Forces. Lotta good stuff here, it seems to me, and it paints a pretty clear picture of everything Lovett is good at.
#15
Josh Hurst
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Let's all just pray on it for a while.
Posted 28 February 2012 - 07:06 PM
I think Erlewine is right on the money, as far as Release Me goes.
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There are a handful of slower, contemplative moments, but Release Me is an unquestioned celebration where the blues are the soundtrack for a good time and Chuck Berry's "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man" is slowed down to a knowing, soulful crawl. There's an ease to Release Me that's utterly charming -- Lovett is relaxing into the songs and sounds he loves, and he hasn't sounded like so much fun in years.
#16
Christian
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Posted 28 February 2012 - 08:52 PM
Still wish he'd make a gospel album. Mollie Hemingway just tweeted that Lovett does a version of Martin Luther's "Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Thy Word," one of her favorite hymns, on the new album.
#17
Josh Hurst
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Let's all just pray on it for a while.
Posted 28 February 2012 - 08:54 PM
Christian, on 28 February 2012 - 08:52 PM, said:
Still wish he'd make a gospel album. Mollie Hemingway just tweeted that Lovett does a version of Martin Luther's "Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Thy Word," one of her favorite hymns, on the new album.
Yeah, it's the closing song-- solemn, sincere, and very lovely.
