ROUTES & BRANCHES
featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music
January 24, 2021
Scott Foley, purveyor of dust
What does Lucero sound like? Is it the rasp of Ben Nichols' voice? The punch of Brian Venable's guitar? Maybe it's Rick Steff's keys, or those Memphis horns that have come along more recently? Last Fall the band turned to its listeners to ask which of their songs they should play for a live streamed concert. Responses heavily favored songs from Lucero's 2002 Tennessee record, with only a smattering of requests from albums after 2012's Women and Work. Heck, absolutely no votes landed for the band's more recent projects, All a Man Should Do and 2018's terrific Among the Ghosts.
I mention this by way of introducing Lucero's tenth studio collection, When You Found Me (Liberty & Lament). Because the record delivers strong performances from Nichols, Venable, Staff et al., it sounds like Lucero. But it doesn't sound like early Lucero, it doesn't sound like Tennessee. And that seems to have upset some folks.
Ben Nichols and producer Matt Ross-Spang (who also produced Ghosts) set out to create a record with a very classic rock sound, something that recalled the hard rock that Nichols remembered from his youth, but that sacrificed none of its relevance as a contemporary project. "Have You Lost Your Way" opens the album with stabs of Veneble's electric guitar, Nichols' lyrics reading like a dark take on the Red Riding Hood fable: Little darling have you lost your way? With its "China Grove" piano and a chorus custom made for a drunken singalong, "Back in Ohio" might even make a future list of fan favorites: Back home in Ohhhhhh-hio ... There's even a sax solo, the collection's only horn sighting.
But with a wife and four-year-old daughter at home, Nichols' life has changed. He seems to weave his own story into the overcast guitars and piano flourishes of "All My Life": Sing to me a wayward song / And I will follow your voice home. With his rusty buzz of a voice, Nichols will never sound like anyone else, even as cleaner living frees him to land more of the notes and to muster a cleaner tone. While Lucero doesn't have a reputation for reflective ballads, the LP's title cut allows Nichols to express his gratitude to his family in his most sincere vocal to date. With Steff's expressive piano and tasteful strings, "When You Found Me" closes the record on a heartfelt note: When you found me in the fire / I was drinking kerosene / Striking matches as the flames were growing higher.
When You Found Me is a true band project, one that finds guitarist Venable delivering fiery riffs and drummer Roy Berry hitting hard and with abandon. A real treasure as a pianist, Steff brings his collection of vintage synthesizers and electric keyboards to several songs. "Outrun the Moon" is a throwback rocker with a pulsing synth, and the session's most interesting piece, "Pull Me Close Don't Let Go" builds on a widescreen electronic drone of keys.
It's not a Lucero-does-Depeche-Mode record. Open-minded fans will find a lot to enjoy here. "Coffin Nails" is another of Ben Nichols' story songs, this one reportedly based on his grandfather's experience of his father's passing: I weigh my deeds on my father's scales / I balance them with coffin nails. "The Match" is a fable of a man coming to terms with his own shortcomings, perhaps given a second chance at redemption: It's whiskey and religion / It's guilty as a dog. See also the immediately relevant "City On Fire".
I recognize that here at R&B HQ we do have our pet peeves. Among the foremost of those is a listener's insistence that an artist not change or evolve or try new things. Listeners who listen to the guitar-fueled tunes of When You Found Me and can only wish for another "Nights Like These" as opposed to embracing Nichols' ever-ripening musical vision or recognizing Lucero's evolution into an outfit of stellar instrumentalists. Ben Nichols' life has changed, and it wouldn't be genuine for him to continue writing songs about down-and-out debauchery and youthful misgivings. These new tunes recognize the songwriter as a storyteller, envisioning characters and populating history with flesh-and-blood personalities. For those of us who choose to follow Lucero as they explore new expressions, When You Found Me is richly rewarding.
- Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers, "Humming Bird" Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers (Glitterhouse, 97)
- Duff Thompson, "Feel What You Want" Haywire (Mashed Potato, 20)
- Janet Simpson, "Nashville Girls" Safe Distance (Cornelius Chapel, Mar 19) D
- Steve Earle, "Maria" JT (New West, 21)
- Bill Callahan & Bonnie Prince Billy - "Night Rider's Lament" single (Drag City, 21)
- Pink Stone, "Blueberry Dream" Introducing ... (Normaltown, Apr 9) D
- Rick Holmstrom, "Lonesome Sound" See That Light (Louellie, Feb 26) D
- Staves, "Devotion" Good Woman (Nonesuch, Feb 5)
- Mapache, "Lonesome LA Cowboy" Lonesome LA Cowboy EP (Yep Roc, 18)
- Jim Keller, "Don't Get Me Started" By No Means (Orange Mt, Feb 12)
- John Paul Keith, "I Don't Wanna Know" Rhythm of the City (Wild Honey, Feb 19)
- Amanda Shires, et al. - "Our Problem" single (Silver Knife, 21) D
- Cody Jinks, "No Words (live)" Red Rocks Live (Late August, 20)
- Corb Lund, "Case of the Wine Soaked Preacher" Cabin Fever (deluxe) (New West, 21) D
- Valerie June, "Call Me a Fool (feat. Carla Thomas)" Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers (Fantasy, Mar 12) D
- Mando Saenz, "In All My Shame" All My Shame (Carnival, Feb 26) D
- Hand Habits, "4th of July" dirt EP (Saddle Creek, Feb 19) D
- Jerry Jeff Walker, "Shell Game" Driftin' Way of Life (Vanguard, 69)
- Ryan Adams, "Dreaming You Backwards" Wednesdays (PaxAm, 20)
- Pine Hill Haints, "Short Life of Trouble" 13 (Arkam, 21)
- Brother Brothers, "On the Road Again" Calla Lily (Compass, Apr 16) D
- Whitehorse, "Radiator Blues" Fate of the World Depends on This Kiss (Six Shooter, 12)
- John Driskell Hopkins, "I Hate to See Good Whiskey Go to Waste" Lonesome High (JDH, Feb 19) D
- Holly Macve, "Be My Friend" Not the Girl (Macve, Apr 16) D
- Buck Meek, "Cannonball Pt 2" Two Saviors (Keeled Scales, 21)
- Lindi Ortega, "Ashes" Faded Gloryville (Last Gang, 15)
- James Yorkston & Second Hand Orchestra, "Ella Mary Leather" Wide Wide River (Domino, 21)
- Jeffrey Foucault, "Mesa, Arizona" Deadstock: Uncollected Recordings 2005-2020 (Foucault, 20)
- Thee Conductor, "We're Not So OK (feat. Will Johnson)" Spirit of a Ghost (Sixgunlover, 21) D
- Cowboy Junkies, "200 More Miles" Trinity Session (BMG, 88)
Activity is picking up nicely at A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster, our heartfelt account of record releases from week to week and month to month. Been so busy we'll only mention a fraction of what's been added this week. Shovels & Rope adds another knot to their series of Busted Jukebox collections. Vol 3 finds Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent trying their hand at a collection of covers selected with kids in mind (Dualtone, Feb 5). A member of Zac Brown's band who has also recorded with Balsam Range, John Driskell Hopkins returns with a rare solo record. Lonesome High will land on February 19. Four years is a bit too long to wait for a new Valerie June record. The third full-length of her career is promised for March 12. Courtesy of Fantasy Records, the collection is named Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers. March 19 is the street date for Joe Pug's next LP, Diving Sun. Following her promising 2019 debut and an excellent covers EP, Esther Rose is back to writing her own songs. We can expect How Many Times on March 26, via Father/Daughter Records.
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