February 27, 2025

Lyle Lovett - Step Inside This House (1998) [2-Disc]

No comments  
Step Inside This House is the seventh album by Lyle Lovett, released in 1998. 
In contrast with his earlier albums, populated mostly by songs penned by Lovett, House is a double-length album of cover songs written by fellow Texans.
In choosing songs to record, Lovett favored songwriters whose works influenced his own style instead of immensely popular artists whose name recognition might boost sales. 
The second disc is largely dedicated to songs written by Steven Fromholz, Townes Van Zandt and Walter Hyatt, with the final track being a traditional piece.
The title track was written by Guy Clark but does not appear on any of his albums. After learning the song from Clark, Lovett fell in love with it, and Clark gave him permission to include it on this album.

Step Inside This House, in a way, is a perfect follow-up to The Road to Ensenada, his straightest country album since his debut, taking Lyle Lovett back to the very beginning, as he covers his favorite songwriters. 
He consciously avoids such obvious influences as Randy Newman and Jesse Winchester, choosing to concentrate almost solely on Texan singer/songwriters, resulting in a minor revelation. Lovett's place in Texas' progressive country tradition has always been evident, and his good taste has never been in question, but this not only confirms his strength as a performer, but also illustrates the origins of his clear, wry narratives. 
He not only sheds light on songwriters known better for their reputation than their actual recordings (Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Walter Hyatt, Michael Martin Murphey, Robert Earl Keen), yet he carries a torch for obscure names like Eric Taylor, Vince Bell and Craig Calvert, David Rodriquez, and Steve Fromholz, who has no less than four songs on the album. 
For all the different writers, what's striking about Step Inside This House is how all the songs seem to spring from the same worldview. 
Few covers albums are as unified and Lovett's achievement is particularly noteworthy since none of the songs are standards.  [Step Inside This House Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine]


 Disc one
  1. "Bears"  (Steven Fromholz) – 3:04
  2. "Lungs" (Townes Van Zandt) – 2:18
  3. "Step Inside This House (Step Inside My House)" (Guy Clark) – 5:29
  4. "Memphis Midnight/Memphis Morning" (Eric Taylor) – 4:23
  5. "I've Had Enough" (Vince Bell, Craig Calvert) – 3:02
  6. "Teach Me About Love" (Walter Hyatt) – 3:52
  7. "Sleepwalking" (Willis Alan Ramsey) – 5:39
  8. "Ballad of the Snow Leopard and the Tanqueray Cowboy" (David Rodriguez) – 5:51
  9. "More Pretty Girls Than One" (traditional) – 2:56
  10. "West Texas Highway" (Boomer Castleman, Michael Martin Murphey) – 3:32
  11. "Rollin' By" (Robert Earl Keen) – 4:06
Disc two
  1. "Texas Trilogy: Daybreak" (Fromholz) – 3:17
  2. "Texas Trilogy: Train Ride" (Fromholz) – 2:35
  3. "Texas Trilogy: Bosque County Romance" (Fromholz) – 4:53
  4. "Flyin' Shoes" (Van Zandt) – 4:38
  5. "Babes in the Woods" (Hyatt) – 3:04
  6. "Highway Kind" (Van Zandt) – 3:27
  7. "Lonely in Love" (Hyatt) – 2:45
  8. "If I Needed You" (Van Zandt) – 3:46
  9. "I'll Come Knockin' " (Hyatt) – 3:24
  10. "Texas River Song" (traditional) – 4:09


Personnel

Production notes
  • Produced by Lyle Lovett and Billy Williams
  • Robert Hadley – mastering
  • Ron Lewter – mastering
  • Doug Sax – mastering
  • Nathaniel Kunkel – engineer
  • John Nelson – assistant engineer
  • James Gilmer – production assistant
  • Vance Knowles – production assistant
  • Kathi Whitley – production coordination
  • Jonas Livingston – art direction
  • Tim Stedman – design
  • Keith Tamashiro – design
  • Michael Wilson – photography

Notes
Released:  September 22, 1998 
Genre:  Country rock
Length:  80:10 
Producer(s):  Lyle Lovett & Billy Williams

Label - MCA 

0 comments:

Post a Comment