Lyle Lovett

Lyle Lovett continues to appear prolific, despite the fact that he hasn’t put out an album of original material since 1996’s The Road to Ensenada, with this record and last year’s two-CD covers set, Step Inside This House. What makes this live set such a joy is the backing presence of Lovett’s Large Band, an extremely talented batch of country swingers able to move with ease from gospel inflection to burlesque raunch. Hearing them whip through the zippity version of “That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas),” and Ricky Lee Jones’s haunting duet on “North Dakota” make this worth the price of admission. Throughout, the band slides around Lovett’s rough mocha voice with slinky ease. Most of this covers tracks from Pontiac to Joshua Judges Ruth, so let’s hope Lovett takes this bunch into the studio, and soon.