Lyle Lovett

 (13 customer reviews)

As a general rule, debut albums generally contain some of the artist's best work- and Lyle Lovett's self-titled 1986 album is no exception. Here, Lovett's talent shines in a satisfying combination of country-themed Texas character sketches ("Cowboy Man", "Farther Down The Line", "This Old Porch"); some outstanding ballads ("If I Were the Man You Wanted", "The Waltzing Fool"), a jazz tune (An Acceptable Level of Ecstacy); and some subtly witty lyrics (God Will, Why I Don't Know). The only song that really feels out of place here is the electric-guitar themed "You Can't Resist It", which is not a bad song, really, it just doesn't flow with the album as much as the others do. Nevertheless, Lyle Lovett comes out with both six-guns shooting on this, his first album. He has a true ability for sweeping you away from where ever you may be and plopping you right smack onto an old, weathered porch in Texas, cold lemonade in hand,...Read more

I was so excited when Lyle Lovett first appeared on the airwaves in the mid 80's. He was the freshest, most intelligent, most artistic singer/songwriter to ever grace the musical landscape. Although this is the most country sounding of all his releases, every single song is top-notch and so many country artists could learn a thing or two about how to do country music CORRECTLY!! I remember this CD being very controversial in country music because of the lyrics in songs such as "God Will" and "Cowboy Man", but that didn't stop them from being Top 10 hits. I have to say my favorite songs are the second half of the disc and they are possibly some of his best written songs. This was one of the most critically acclaimed release of the 80's and a gem in any Lyle Lovett fan's music collection.

If you're new to Lovett, listen to "God Will" on this, his first album, to get a sense of what a dry sense of humour really is. Lyle will do it for me every time.Listen to every track on this album except for "You Can't Resist It", which you should listen to first on his new live release. Then, once you're a Lyle Lovett addict, come back, play his old version version for the first time, and laugh about how your new favorite artist has only one dated song in his whole, incredible repertoire.