Saturday, August 24, 2019

Favorite Musical Artists: Lyle Lovett


It’s more or less a coincidence that Lyle Lovett comes up right after Mary Chapin Carpenter. Fans of the latter, of course, are sure to be familiar with these lines from “I Feel Lucky”:
 
Now eleven million later, I was sittin' at the bar.
I bought the house a double, then the waitress a new car.
Dwight Yoakam's in the corner, tryin' to catch my eye.
Lyle Lovett's right beside me with his hand upon my thigh.
[obviously with her consent; see chorus below]
I feel lucky,
I feel lucky, yeah.
Hey Dwight, hey Lyle, boys, you don't have to fight.
Hot dog, I feel lucky tonight.
 
(I have to admit I started to wonder, when in recent years it became annoyingly typical for the two of them to appear at Wolf Trap on back-to-back evenings, forcing me either to choose between them or endure two late nights in a row.)
 
The best summary of Lovett’s music I could find came from Last.fm: “Lyle Lovett is an Americana singer-songwriter and actor from Klein, Texas, who has been described as "the thinking man's cowboy". While typically associated with the alt-country genre, his albums typically incorporate folk, swing, blues, jazz and gospel music as well as more traditional country & western styles.”
 
Concert notes (all from appearances at Wolf Trap with his Large Band unless otherwise noted): 2019 2018 2017 (at Strathmore with John Hiatt) 2016 2015
 
Favorite songs:
 
If I Had A Boat
That's Right (You're Not From Texas)
Here I Am
Closing Time
Church
 
She's No Lady
I Will Rise Up/Ain't No More Cane
What Do You Do/The Glory Of Love
Simple Song
Penguins
 
Nobody Knows Me
Don't Touch My Hat
L.A. County
Good Intentions
My Baby Don’t Tolerate
 
North Dakota
Family Reserve
Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior
Wallisville Road
Which Way Does That Old Pony Run
 
Bonus tracks -- Funny How Time Slips Away (duet with Al Green), and Francine Reed’s performance of Wild Women Don't Get the Blues (always a highlight of his Large Band shows)

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