Lyle Lovett is a musical chameleon, a string-bean lean Texan who likes to mix traditional genres with his own down-home flavor.
Lovett’s cool, well-schooled singing style complements music rooted in country but can’t help but pull from a myriad influences: big band, jazz, R&B, swing, gospel, folk, pop and rock. Has it really been 40 years since his self-titled debut surfaced out of Spring, a then-dusty town about 25 miles north of Houston?
An old-soul songwriter who grew up singing in his Lutheran church choir, Lovett was already in his late twenties when he signed with MCA Records. The opening song on that first album, the jaunty, acoustic-driven “Cowboy Man,” dives right into some of the themes that continue to preoccupy his work: “Now I ain’t never been no cowboy/But heaven knows I’ve tried/’Cause I’ll be riding tall in my saddle/With that Cinderella by my side.” It was all there from the get-go: An aspiring cowboy attempts to woo the woman of his dreams while riding his trusty horse.
Lovett, of course, is more than that. His playful, crafty songs grapple with the changing nature of what it means to be a spiritual person in an increasingly disjointed and chaotic world. In fact, Lovett’s most recent album, 2022’s “12th of June,” is as graceful and intimate as anything within the dozen full-length efforts he’s offered amid a career largely anchored in his beloved Texas. The sweetly swaying title track is an ode to his wife and twin children, a son and daughter who were born on June 12, 2017. His voice, inevitably weathered as he hits his mid-60s, delivers the following promise: “And to these beautiful two children/And to my sweet and tender wife/I will love you three forever/Though I fly beyond this life.”
Elsewhere, the amusing “Pants Is Overrated” delves into the pleasures of going pants-less as his backing band delivers a jazzy R&B groove aided by horns, fiddle, piano and gospel-inspired backing vocals. It’s the kind of song that lets Lovett’s collaborators shine, which is just the way he wants it.
“One of the greatest joys of performing for me is being able to construct a set that gives everyone in the band a chance to be heard, to shine and do something,” Lovett said in a recent interview with USA Today. “I pick songs that will show what the band can do and also present my songs. There’s no better feeling for me than to give everyone a chance to stand out.”
Lyle Lovett plays July 16 at the Taft Theatre at 317 E. 5th St. Find ticket information here.
