My Baby Don't Tolerate

by

Lyle Lovett

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Lyle's first release of original new material in years was a hit with me. I was expecting the Large Band but only bass player Viktor Krauss joined Lyle on the CD. However, having said that, Lyle chose a venerable who's who of fantastic long time studio musicians like Russ Kunkel (drums) and Dean Parks (electric guitar). And especially nice is the reappearance of Kentucky mandolin player Sam Bush, who has been absent from Lovett's last couple of Large Band tours. All in all, the musicians are excellent and the tunes are tight. I do miss the distinctive vocal harmonies of the Large Band back up singers, particularly Francine Reed and Sweet Pea Atkinson. Also notable by his absence is cello player John Hagan, who adds such a distinctive quality to the Large Band. But still, this cd is a celebration of new Lyle Lovett music, and the cd does not disappoint. His first effort on the Lone Star Music label, Lovett begins the cd with a poppy "Cute as a Bug" which will have you tapping your feet and singing along a minute into it. Lyle also presents two new versions of his latest recordings, "Truck Song" and "San Antonio Girl" and they sound great - not neccessarily better or worse than the original, but different. The middle tracks of the cd are all solid from the title track "My Baby Don't Tolerate" to "Working Too Hard." Lovett closes the cd with two vocally powerful Christian tunes, "I'm Gonna Wait" and "I'm Going to the Place," both of which features a sweet choir in the background. Lyle wrote all the material with the exception of one song, "Election Day," so if you are a big fan of Lyle's sometimes funny, sometimes sad but always clever lyrical style, you will enjoy this cd. Lyle's styles have varied from country to jazz to the blues, and this cd is certainly of the country persuasion. All in all a solid, solid effort that I would recommend to the first time Lyle listener and definitely a must to any Lyle fan.

As a huge LL fan, I must say I was disappointed in this release. Maybe it was the wait, maybe it's the slower pace of most of the songs. Whatever it is, it's just not LL at his best. Many songs are repetitive - have you heard "Cute as a Bug"? I can't honestly see myself reaching for this CD over "Ensanada" or "Large Band" perhaps ever.

With all of that being said, he's still Lyle Lovett! The voice is as good as ever and the variety of music and moods will probably give you a few songs you'll like.

-If you're new to Lyle start elsewhere (my vote would be Ensanada).

-If you're a big fan you'll probably get this anyway.

-If you're a casual fan, I wouldn't say "don't" get this, but if you're eyeing a few more CDs and you're on a budget - this one can wait.