Lyle Lovett - Pontiac

Artist:

Lovett, Lyle

Description:

Personnel: Lyle Lovett (vocals); Billy Williams (acoustic guitar); Ray Herndon (electric guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); John Hagen (cello); Steve Marsh (saxophone); Matt Rollings (piano, synthesizer); Matt McKenzie, Edgar Meyer (bass); Harry Stinson (drums); Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Francine Reed, J. David Sloan, Harry Stinson (background vocals).
On his second album, Lovett solidified his songwriting abilities and his style, emerging as Nashville-via-Texas`s answer to Randy Newman. Beneath PONTIAC`s ornate production and elegant melodies lurks major-league irony and cynicism. Lovett`s resonant, Jesse Winchester-like deadpan delivery is the Kabuki mask behind which insecurity and anthropomorphism run gleefully rampant. Our boy seems to have more troubles with women than the young Elvis Costello did; in "L.A. County," he drives cross-country to go postal at the marriage of his ex-love and her new beau. "She`s No Lady" finds the narrator married and in the throes of existential despair, though it`s mollified by some slick, jazzy chording.
All this expertly crafted sarcasm is redeemed by the poignant, elliptical "If I Had a Boat," a folk-country ballad full of touching, poetic imagery, and by the Townes Van Zandt-ish "Simple Song," whose simple, minor-key melody carries considerable lyrical heft. As "She`s No Lady" and "If I Had a Boat" remained staples of Lovett`s shows for years to come, PONTIAC is rightly regarded as one of his key releases.

Track Listing:

DISC 1

1. If I Had a Boat
2. Give Back My Heart
3. I Loved You Yesterday
4. Walk Through the Bottomland
5. L.A. County
6. She`s No Lady
7. M-O-N-E-Y
8. Black and Blue
9. Simple Song
10. Pontiac
11. She`s Hot to Go

Album Information

Release Date:

01/11/1988

Type:

Performer

Genre:

Country

Subgenre:

Progressive Country

Label:

MCA Records (USA)

Producer:

Tony Brown; Lyle Lovett

Catalog Number:

42028

Original Release Year:

1988

# of Discs:

1

SPARS Coding:

DDD

Studio/Live:

Studio

Mono/Stereo:

Stereo

Runtime:

35 : 41

Guest Artist:

Emmylou Harris; Vince Gill; Francine Reed; Edgar Meyer

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