Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 06/18/1996
Run Time: 5:57
Since
Pontiac,
Lyle Lovett has been experimenting with different sounds, whether it was the
big band posturing of
Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, the
gospel overtones of
Joshua Judges Ruth, or the '70s
singer/songwriter flourishes of
I Love Everybody. With
The Road to Ensenada, he hunkers down and produces his most straightforward album since
Pontiac. As it happens, it is also his best record since that breakthrough album.
Lovett strips the sound of the album down to the bare
country essentials, allowing it to drift into
Western swing,
country-rock,
folk, and
honky tonk when necessary. He also decides to balance his weightier material (
"Private Conversation," "Who Loves You Better," "It Ought to Be Easier," "I Can't Love You Anymore," "Christmas Morning") with fun, lighthearted numbers like
"Don't Touch My Hat," "Fiona," and
"That's Right (You're Not From Texas)," which are funny without being silly. In fact,
The Road to Ensenada is the lightest album
Lyle Lovett has ever made -- the darkness that hung around the fringes of
Pontiac,
Joshua Judges Ruth, and
I Love Everybody has drifted away, leaving his wry sense of humor and a newly found empathetic sentimentality. The combination of straightforward instrumentation and lean, catchy, and incisive songwriting results in one of the best albums of his career -- he's just as eclectic and off-handedly brilliant as he has always been, but on
The Road to Ensenada he's more focused and less flashy about his own talent than he's ever been.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Cart 0 items
Login
My Account
Order Status
Help
Listen
