Lyle Lovett
I Love Everybody (Curb/MCA)
by Marc Hirsh
Lyle Lovett
I Love Everybody (Curb/MCA)
by Marc Hirsh
originally published in the Rice Thresher, February 17, 1995
Not to be cynical, but it seems that marrying Julia Roberts, however temporarily and however disastrous the results for his personal and artistic life, may have been the best career boost Lyle Lovett's ever had.
Before, Lyle was a bit of an outcast from the country community, which didn't know what to do with his often bizarre mixture of country, blues, jazz and gospel styles. The mainstream musical community saw the "country" tag on his music and stayed away as well, leaving only a cult following and strong critical acclaim.
One shotgun-paced wedding to a high-profile movie star later, everybody's on his front porch trying to listen in on what they'd been avoiding all the time.
Lyle doesn't seem to mind. If the title of his latest album, I Love Everybody, is any indication, he's ecstatic at the attention.
Or maybe he's just giddy at his whirlwind romance. Long-time followers fretted that his new connubial bliss may mean the end of his string of songs such as "I Married Her Because She Looks Like You," "She's Leaving Me Because She Really Wants To" and "She Makes Me Feel Good." Has the presence of Ms. Roberts stolen our dear Mr. Lovett's sense of humor?
Not quite. While nothing on the new album quite ascends to the heights of his last, Joshua Judges Ruth, which managed to find cathartic humor in songs about mortality and hopeless love, that's probably Lyle's plan.
His considerably downscaled aspirations are demonstrated by the sheer number of songs on Everybody. With 18 songs clocking in at just over 53 minutes, the album shies away from the epic feel of his last album. Lyle seems to want to present himself as something of a jazz-folk troubadour.
Unfortunately, a lot of the time this undermines one of Lyle's key strengths, the ability to turn the mundane into full drama. "They Don't Like Me," about everybody's fears upon meeting their new in-laws, could have been turned into a massive production, but Lyle holds back, leaving it as a pleasant but too simple tune.
Many of the new songs end just as they've really started. A song like "Sonja" establishes its theme and then promptly finishes. The old Lyle would wallow around in it for a while, eventually dragging us down to his level and making us glad that we were down there.
That's probably the album's weakest point, really. The brevity of most of the songs doesn't allow for any sort of buildup and climax. Everything's just put out on the table. Individually, most of the songs are fine, but together they just don't mesh.
Even standouts like the soulful "Record Lady," the whimsical "Goodbye To Carolina" and the typically Lovettian "Creeps Like Me" seem to get lost in the shuffle with the repetitious "Ain't It Somethin'" and "Penguins," which would be great if it had anything more to say than its refrain, "Penguins are so sensitive to my needs".
Of course, this all seems to be the plan. It never seems as though Lovett's muse has left him, only that he's changing his game plan. He's deliberately turned away from the Large Band arrangements of the last few albums, opting instead for an appealing acoustic guitar/bass/drums format that's occasionally augmented by typically sympathetic cello and violin.
The limitations of the album will probably all be demolished once Lyle steps on stage. His last tour found him supported by electric guitar, bass, lap steel guitar player, piano, cello, four saxophones, a gospel quartet and drums, while he handled acoustic guitar and his own vocals. With 15 people on stage making noise at once, he sounded tighter than some three-piece bands.
He also played almost twice as long as most bands. You get nothing if not your money's worth. While I doubt his stage presence will be the same as when I saw him perform two weeks after the wedding in Colorado (where he enjoyed playing with the fact that they hate Texans), he remains one of the most thoroughly entertaining performers I've witnessed.
The very same happiness which dogs Lyle on the album will probably result in a stellar show. Even so, it's forgivable. He just has to adjust to it, is all.