LOOKBACK MACHiNE: LUCERO

ROUTES & BRANCHES

featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music

October 23, 2024

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

As we continue to define the awesome reach of R&B, we'd be remiss if we didn't include Lucero, the hard-working Memphis outfit that has helped define the ragged fringes of our kind of music. Begun as a country-punk take on the Replacements, Lucero has evolved over three decades to touch on Southern rock, soul, and indie music while never abandoning their edge. Frontman Ben Nichols has grown and come of age as a songwriter as well, dipping into nearly Springsteen-esque urban anthems with the horn-enhanced 1372 Overton Park and 2012 Women & Work, and exploring synth textures for the more cinematic When You Found Me. Whatever their expression, Lucero's sound has always been largely dictated by guitarist Brian Venable and pianist Rick Steff.  We reach back to the band's Attic Tapes collection, featuring stuff recorded prior to the turn of the Century, including our single cover in Jawbreaker's "Kiss the Bottle". Lucero's most recent release finds them returning to a heavier, alt.country sound, gathering some of the harder tunes from their previous couple sessions. With rumors of a release that further strips back their sound, Ben Nichols and co. continue to serve a key role on our playlists. 

LUCERO: thirty favorites

- "Diamond State Heartbreak" Attic Tapes (Liberty & Lament, Apr 06)

- "Kiss the Bottle" Attic Tapes

- "Little Silver Heart" Lucero  (Madjack, May 01)

- "My Best Girl" Lucero

- "Drink 'Till We're Gone" Lucero

- "Sweet Little Thing" Tennessee  (Madjack, Sep 02)

- "Nights Like These" Tennessee

- "I'll Just Fall" Tennessee

- "That Much Further West" That Much Further West  (Tiger Style, Sep 03)

- "Tears Don't Matter Much" That Much Further West

- "Watch It Burn" Nobody's Darlings  (Liberty & Lament, May 05)

- "All the Same To Me" Nobody's Darlings

- "What Else Would You Have Me Be" Rebels Rogues & Sworn Brothers  (Liberty & Lament, Sep 06)

- "I Can Get Us Out Of Here" Rebels Rogues & Sworn Brothers

- "What Are You Willing To Lose" 1372 Overton Park  (UMG, Oct 09)

- "Hey Darlin' Do You Gamble" 1372 Overton Park

- "Mom" 1372 Overton Park

- "On My Way Downtown" Women & Work  (ATO, Mar 12)

- "I Can't Stand To Leave You" Women & Work

- "When I Was Young" Women & Work

- "Texas & Tennessee" Texas & Tennessee  (ATO, Apr 13)

- "Baby Don't You Want Me" All a Man Should Do  (ATO, Sep 15)

- "Went Looking For Warren Zevon's Los Angeles" All a Man Should Do

- "Can't You Hear Them Howl" All a Man Should Do

- "Everything Has Changed" Among the Ghosts  (Liberty & Lament, Aug 18)

- "For the Lonely Ones" Among the Ghosts

- "Back In Ohio" When You Found Me  (Liberty & Lament, Jan 21)

- "Macon If We Make It" Should've Learned By Now  (Liberty & Lament, Dec 21)

- "Drunken Moon" Should've Learned By Now

- "Time To Go Home" Should've Learned By Now

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