Lyle Lovett released Natural Forces

Natural Forces Lyle Lovett

Released: October 20, 2009 Peak: 29 US, 8 CW Sales (in millions): -- Genre: alt-country/Americana

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] Natural Forces (Lyle Lovett) [5:40] Farmer Brown/Chicken Reel (Lovett, traditional) [4:03] Pantry (Lovett, April Kimble) [4:08] Empty Blue Shoes (Lovett) [2:58] Whooping Crane (Eric Taylor) [4:50] Bayou Song (Don Sanders) [4:05] Bohemia (Tommy Elskes) [3:18] Don’t You Think I Feel It Too (David Ball) [3:48] Sun and Moon and Stars (Vince Bell) [4:33] Loretta (Townes Van Zandt) [3:38] It’s Rock and Roll (Lovett, Robert Earl Keen) [] Pantry (acoustic version) (Lovett, Kimble) [4:03]

Rating: 2.986 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “Retreating to generally quieter territory after the somewhat splashy It’s Not Big It’s Large, Lyle Lovett also backs away from original tunes on Natural Forces, choosing to devote the bulk of the 11-track album to other writers. Covers are common for Lovett, but not since 1998’s Step Inside This House has he spent so much time singing other’s songs, and he revisits some of the same composers as before, picking tunes from Townes Van Zandt and Vince Bell.” AMG “Tommy Elskes’ slyly sarcastic blues, Bohemia,…[is] the liveliest of the bunch.” AMG He does mix in some originals, including the title cut, It’s Rock and Roll, and “the bawdy, rollicking Pantry.” AMG The latter two are co-writes – the first with Robert Earl Keen and the second with longtime partner April Kimble. As usual, he mixes “humor and tempo through his originals” AMG such as with “the dirty jump blues Farmer Brown/Chicken Reel.” The originals “act as anchors to a record that wanders down its own quiet, idiosyncratic path, grounding the album and keeping things amiably unpredictable.” AMG

Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Lyle Lovett AMG All Music Guide review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 5/20/2022.

Lyle Lovett released covers album Step Inside This House

Step Inside This House Lyle Lovett

Released: September 22, 1998 Peak: 55 US, 9 CW, 190 UK Sales (in millions): 0.5 US Genre: alt-country/Americana

Tracks, Disc 1: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Bears (Steven Fromholz) [3:04] (9/19/98, 11 AA) Lungs (Townes Van Zandt) [2:18] Step Inside This House (Step Inside My House) (Guy Clark) [5:29] Memphis Midnight/Memphis Morning (Eric Taylor) [4:23] I’ve Had Enough (Vince Bell, Craig Calvert) [3:02] Teach Me About Love (Walter Hyatt) [3:52] Sleepwalking (Willis Alan Ramsey) [5:39] Ballad of the Snow Leopard and the Tanqueray Cowboy (David Rodriguez) [5:51] More Pretty Girls Than One (traditional) [2:56] West Texas Highway (Boomer Castleman, Michael Martin Murphey) [3:32] Rollin’ By (Robert Earl Keen) [4:06] Tracks, Disc 2: Texas Trilogy: Daybreak (Fromholz) [3:17] Texas Trilogy: Train Ride (Fromholz) [2:35] Texas Trilogy: Bosque County Romance (Fromholz) [4:53] Flyin’ Shoes (Van Zandt) [4:38] Babes in the Woods (Hyatt) [3:04] Highway Kind (Van Zandt) [3:27] Lonely in Love (Hyatt) [2:45] If I Needed You (Van Zandt) [3:46] I’ll Come Knockin’ (Hyatt) [3:24] Texas River Song (traditional) [4:09]

Rating: 3.962 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings) Quotable: “Few covers albums are as unified.” – Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “Step Inside This House, in a way, is a perfect follow-up to The Road to Ensenada, his straightest country album since his debut, taking Lyle Lovett back to the very beginning, as he covers his favorite songwriters. He consciously avoids such obvious influences as Randy Newman and Jesse Winchester, choosing to concentrate almost solely on Texan singer/songwriters, resulting in a minor revelation. Lovett’s place in Texas’ progressive country tradition has always been evident, and his good taste has never been in question, but this not only confirms his strength as a performer, but also illustrates the origins of his clear, wry narratives.” AMG “He not only sheds light on songwriters known better for their reputation than their actual recordings (Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Walter Hyatt, Michael Martin Murphey, Robert Earl Keen), yet he carries a torch for obscure names like Eric Taylor, Vince Bell and Craig Calvert, David Rodriquez, and Steve Fromholz, who has no less than four songs on the album. For all the different writers, what's striking about Step Inside This House is how all the songs seem to spring from the same worldview. Few covers albums are as unified and Lovett’s achievement is particularly noteworthy since none of the songs are standards.” AMG

Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Lyle Lovett AMG All Music Guide review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 5/18/2022.