Lyle Lovett (album)
| Lyle Lovett | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Lyle Lovett | ||||
| Released | 1986 | |||
| Recorded | Chaton Recordings, Scottsdale, Arizona | |||
| Genre | country, folk, singer-songwriter | |||
| Length | 32:30 | |||
| Label | MCA/Curb | |||
| Producer | Tony Brown, Lyle Lovett | |||
| Lyle Lovett chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[2] |
| Music Hound | 4/5 bones[3] |
| Rolling Stone |   [4] |
| Spin | 7/10[5] |
| Virgin | [6] |
Lyle Lovett is Lovett's 1986 eponymous debut album. By the mid-1980s Lovett had already distinguished himself in the burgeoning Texas singer-songwriter scene. He had performed in the New Folk competition at the Kerrville Folk Festival in 1980 and returned to win in 1982.[7] In 1984 Lovett recorded a four song demo with the help of the Phoenix band, J. David Sloan and the Rogues.[8] His music had begun to be distributed by the Fast Folk Musical Magazine[9]
Nanci Griffith had previously recorded Lovett's "If I Were the Man You Wanted" as "If I Were the Woman You Wanted" for her 1984 album, Once in a Very Blue Moon. Lovett appears on the album as a vocalist and even appears on the cover of her Last of the True Believers album.
Chart performance
Lovett's debut reached number 14 on Billboard's chart for Top Country Albums.
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 14 |
Critical acclaim
Lyle Lovett was ranked #91 in Rolling Stone's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s.[10] and both Velvet[11] and the Italian magazine Il Mucchio Selvaggio also cited it as one of the top 100 albums of the decade.[12] Allmusic compares the album to Steve Earle's Guitar Town, calling it, "one of the most promising and exciting debut albums to come out of Nashville in the 1980s."[1] Robert Christgau described Lovett's debut as "Writes like Guy Clark, only plainer, sings like Jesse Winchester only countrier."[2]
Track listing
All songs by Lyle Lovett, except "This Old Porch" by Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen.
- "Cowboy Man" – 2:48
- "God Will" – 2:13
- "Farther Down the Line" – 3:05
- "This Old Porch" – 4:16
- "Why I Don't Know" – 2:41
- "If I Were the Man You Wanted" – 3:57
- "You Can't Resist It" – 3:08
- "The Waltzing Fool" – 3:49
- "An Acceptable Level of Ecstasy (The Wedding Song)" – 3:30
- "Closing Time" – 3:43
Credits
Musicians
- Lyle Lovett – vocals, acoustic guitar; background vocals ("You Can't Resist It")
- Ray Herndon – electric rhythm guitar, background vocals; electric lead guitar ("Farther Down the Line" and "Why I Don't Know")
- Tom Mortensen – steel guitar
- Billy Williams – electric lead guitar; saxophone arrangements
- Vince Gill – electric rhythm guitar ("You Can't Resist It")
- Jon Goin – electric rhythm and lead guitars ("You Can't Resist It")
- Mac McAnally – acoustic lead guitar ("God Will", "Farther Down the Line" and "If I Were the Man You Wanted")
- Mathew McKenzie – bass
- Emory Gordy, Jr. – bass ("Farther Down the Line")
- Mark Prentice – organ; piano ("God Will" and "Farther Down the Line")
- Matt Rollings – acoustic and electric piano
- John Jarvis – Synthesizer ("You Can't Resist It")
- Jeff Borree – drums
- Bob Warren – drums ("Farther Down the Line", "This Old Porch" and "An Acceptable Level of Ecstasy")
- James Gilmer – congas
- Glen Duncan – fiddle
- Steve Marsh – saxophones
- J. David Sloan – background vocals
- Rosanne Cash – background vocals ("You Can't Resist It")
- Francine Reed – background vocals ("An Acceptable Level of Ecstasy")
Production
- Producers – Tony Brown and Lyle Lovett
- Associate Producer – Billy Williams
- Recorded at Chaton Recordings, Scottsdale, Arizona
- Engineer – Steven Moore
- Second Engineer – Andy Seagle
- Overdubs and Remix at Teasure Isle Recorders, Nashville, Tennessee
- Remixed – Gene Eichelberger
- Second Engineers – Tom Der and Tom Harding
- Mastered at Mastertonics using the JVC Audio Digital Mastering System
- Mastering – Glen Meadows
- Digital editing – Milan Bogdan
- Compact Disc master tap prepared by Glen Meadows and Milan Bogdan
Artwork
- Simon Levy – art direction
- Peter Nash – photography
- Mickey Braithwaite – design
- Kate Gillon & Sherri Halford – CD coordination
- Guy Clark – liner notes
References
- 1 2 Mark Deming, Allmusic (link)
- 1 2 Robert Christgau, Consumer Guide (link)
- ↑ Music Hound, USA, 1988-89 (4 "bones", scale 0-5), according to acclaimedmusic.net
- ↑ Rolling Stone Album Guide, USA, 1992, 2004
- ↑ Spin's Book of Alternative Albums, USA, 1995 (according to acclaimedmusic.net)
- ↑ Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music, UK, 2002 (according to acclaimedmusic.net)
- ↑ "Kerrville Folk Festival Finalist History", compiled by Doug Coppock (link)
- ↑ Lyle Lovett profile, from the Richard De La Font Agency, Inc. (link)
- ↑ "Fast Folk and Coop Database", compiled by Steven Alexander, 2002 (link)
- ↑ The Editors (1989-11-16). "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980's". Rolling Stone (565).
- ↑ Velvet, 1990 (according to rocklistmusic.co.uk (link)
- ↑ Il Mucchio Selvaggio, 2002 (according to acclaimedmusic.net link)