Live In Texas

Recorded in 1995 and released on the back of a swing revival currently sweeping the US, Live In Texas is a long overdue in-concert record from arguably the best singer songwriter to have emerged from Texas in the past twenty years (and there’ve been many).

With his large band in tow Lovett runs through his back catalogue with characteristic ultra coolness – an emphasis here on the big gospel inspired ensemble numbers such as ‘She’s No Lady’, ‘You Can’t Resist It’ and ‘What Do You Do’.

More intimate vignettes like the gorgeous ‘If I Had A Boat’, ‘Nobody Knows Me’ and ‘North Dakota” (sung here with Rickie Lee Jones) showcase his sweeter, sensitive side, while his wry sense of irony is fully in evidence on the whimsical ‘That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas’), ‘Here I Am’ and ‘I’ve Been to Memphis’.

Some of his most acclaimed creations, ‘Simple Song’ being one obvious example, are absent, but this is more than compensated for by the inclusion of songs such as the evocative, sentimental ‘Closing Time’, which aptly brings the curtains down on this thoroughly enjoyable sixty minutes.

He’s due in town for a show at the end of the month – miss it at your peril. But for now this will do.