LYLE LOVETT
Smile - Songs From The Movies (Curb/MCA)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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The latest retrospective release from the Lyle Lovett catalog is this set of a dozen songs he's recorded for film soundtracks over the last ten years. Though there are new songs from writers like Burt Bacharach and Randy Newman, most of the songs are standards from a diverse range of sources. I'm left wondering how much input Lovett has in the song choice for these projects, since he shares production credit on most tracks and seems to find room for various members of the Large Band in his backing ensembles. Actually, I don't wonder much. Each of these songs seems to fit him so well that he's clearly got the final say if not the first idea. At this point, he's in a position to do the songs he likes for the projects he likes, I suppose, which is a nice position indeed.

The outcome is a nice album, from the perfect wistfulness of "Smile" to an interpretation of "Moritat (Mack The Knife)" which is far closer to the original Brecht/Weill intent than many listeners will be used to. Having all of these tracks together on one disc is a real service to Lyle Lovett fans, who might otherwise end up with 12 soundtrack albums of varying levels of interest . Until he's got a new collection of original tunes to release, this will be in regular rotation at my house.

Track List:

Blue Skies * Straighten Up And Fly Right * Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You * Smile * Moritat (Mack The Knife) * Summer Wind * What'd I Say * Till It Shine (w/Keb' Mo') * You've Got A Friend In Me (w/Randy Newman) * Walking Tall * Pass Me Not * I'm A Soldier In The Army Of The Lord

© 2003 - Shaun Dale