Lyle Lovett: Live In Texas, Curb, 1999
Recorded in ’95, Live In Texas features Lovett and his Large Band taking on material from throughout his career. Lovett has a longstanding love affair with the Lone Star State – his most recent studio effort, 98’s Step Inside This House, was a two-disc tribute covering material from his favorite Big Sky songwriters. That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas) first recorded on The Road To Ensenada (’96) and reprised here, is a gospel-styled love song to the state, offering the couplet “Even Moses got excited when he saw the promised land.”
One of the more intriguing characters in music today, before his first album was released Lovett had already earned a degree in journalism, (which may partially account for some of the more colorful characters inhabiting his songs) and over the past decade he’s acted in a handful of movies, including critical favorites The Player, Short Cuts and The Opposite Of Sex.
Lovett’s late father was a long-serving member of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Klein, Texas. The family has deep roots there – his great grandfather helped found the church in 1873. When Lovett passed through town a few years back he made news when he was spotted attending Sunday service at a Lutheran church in Revelstoke. If this sounds like a public stance keep in mind Lovett has always played his cards close to the vest. There’s little help perusing lyrics. His songs at times appear almost nonsensical, yet somehow work, as in the opener, Penguins, a love song to the Webbed Wonder.
Church is typical – the story of a congregations’ hunger pangs as the Pastor threatens to preach all day long. A dove descends to the pulpit, only to be eaten by the preacher. The moral of the story: “Children it is plain but true/God knows if a preacher preaches long enough/Even he’ll get hungry too.”
For the neophyte, Live In Texas is an excellent introduction. Longtime fans, however, might prefer some original material – it’s been four years since a disc of new songs was released.