Lyle Lovett

Lyle Lovett has always been a little bit schizophrenic. A Nashville musician with big-band
leanings, Lovett has somehow managed to gracefully walk the line between shuffle and
be-bop. On Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, this split is more pronounced than ever, but
Lovett's musical vision has never been clearer. When he's country (as on the longing
"Which Way Does That Old Pony Run" and the funny but heartbreaking confessio... More >

After kicking off with a sharp r&b instrumental, the lapsed grad student dispenses with pretension and boils country down to the basics. Singing: well-schooled. Songcraft: canny, humorous. Concept: women, you can't live with 'em and you can't live without 'em--and it's their fault. Lest anyone mistake his intentions, he also covers "Stand by Your Man." Very humorous. (Grade: B)