Lyle Lovett - 12th of June 2022 [FLAC-24-96] - 知音人音乐网

You've got to hand it to Lyle Lovett. More than anything else, the dude is smooth. A voracious inheritor and innovator, no one else has ever attempted, let alone mastered, Lovett's smart, stylish blend of influences that vary from the fervor of gospel, the insight of Texas troubadours, the energy of big band jazz and an overall dedication to what fellow Texan Doug Sahm revered as, "the groove." Bebop jazz pianist Horace Silver's "Cookin' at the Continental" is a powerhouse opener with its big horn charts and classy swing band flair. That's followed by the playful Lovett original "Pants is Overrated," where he works his way into a soul/gospel rhythm aided by a chanted chorus—a frequent Lovett device. What in most hands would sound schizophrenic and a constant overreach, here sounds organic. Predictably, this being Lyle's world, "Pants is Overrated" is also the album's first single. Produced by Lovett and Chuck Ainlay (who also produced his 1989 album, And His Large Band), 12th of June was beautifully recorded in Nashville, Austin, and Los Angeles with a 13-member version of his storied Large Band that includes such stellar instrumental talents as Russ Kunkel (drums), Viktor Krauss (bass), Sam Bush (mandolin) and Paul Franklin (steel guitar). Lovett's talked, idiosyncratic vocals are often supported in the jazz numbers like "Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You," by deep-voiced singer Francine Reed. He indulges his ear for slinky R&B in David Frishberg's "Peel Me A Grape," where he and Reed trade verses before trumpeter Steve Herman and tenor saxman Mace Hibbard add compact solos. The album's second half leaves the jazz behind for a slug of Lovett the acoustic singer/songwriter. "Her Loving Man," where he "worships" a woman who is "the queen of knowing," is the latest in a long line of Lovett love songs that began with "She's No Lady" on Pontiac (1987). The title track is the latest in his elegiac tunes about his family while "Pig Meat Man" returns to the familiar subject of food: "I like bacon and ham/ With toast and jam." It's been a decade since Lovett's last record, 2012's Release Me, and for a time it seemed like that might be his final recorded statement. 12th of June was worth the wait.