Lyle Lovett is one of the all-time great American singer/songwriters. His voice is unique, but his antecedents are recognizable. In his work two roads come together, the trail blazed by the great Texas storytellers of whom Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark are the best known, and the crooked highway navigated by sophisticated humorists such as Randy Newman and Tom Waits. Lovett's first gift was to combine these two potent strands of musical DNA into a new genome able to generate songs as brilliant and double-sided as "If I Had A Boat," "God Will," "If I Were the Man You Wanted," "Family Reserve" and "Her First Mistake."
That would be plenty for any composer to base a career on, but Lovett was also capable of both flat-out humor ("That's Right (You're Not From Texas"), "Here I am," "Church") and heartbreakers that were poignant without ever descending into sentimentality ("She's Already Made Up Her Mind," "Nobody Knows Me," "The Road To Ensenada"). What emerged was a picture of a smart and complicated man, whose good humor and generosity of spirit were holding back a darker character. Out of such tensions, many artists are born.
Lyle Lovett is a four time Grammy winner and has led a remarkable career which includes 13 albums and over four million records sold. His music uniquely intersects an array of genres from country and folk to big-band swing and traditional pop as evidenced by such revered albums as Lyle Lovett, Pontiac, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, Joshua, Judges, Ruth and The Road To Ensenada.
It's Not Big It's Large, Lovett's latest collection, has been one of the most acclaimed efforts of his career. The album contains big, contemporary themes, but it is Lovett's gift to make the deep thoughts slide down like honey. The memorable songs include "I Will Rise Up/Ain't No Cane," the poignant "South Texas Girl," the infectious, upbeat "Up in Indiana." and the rueful ballad "Don't Cry a Tear."
For the last few years, Lovett, who is able to conjure musical magic in a variety of settings, has been alternating Large Band tours with acoustic shows teaming him with John Hiatt as well as larger songwriter circles also featuring Hiatt, Guy Clark and Joe Ely.
Another facet of Lovett's career is acting, and this year saw the filming of his latest effort, a role in Michael Meredith's "The Open Road." Meredith also directed Lovett in "Three Days of Rain," but Lovett's longest and best-known filmic collaboration was with the late, great director Robert Altman. He appeared in four Altman films: "The Player," "Short Cuts," "Pret-a-Porter," and "Cookie's Fortune," and scored the music for another: "Dr. T and the Women."
In the end, though, it's music to which Lovett always returns, for it's his own stories and songs that resonate the most. In an acoustic setting with his friend John Hiatt beside him, those stories and songs are sure to come through loud and clear.
