Lyle Lovett
My Baby Don’t Tolerate (Curb/Lost Highway) Finally! It was starting to look like Lyle Lovett had Willis Alan Ramsey syndrome, where a songwriter releases one classic then the well runs dry. Even if two of its 14 tracks were previously released on 2001’s Anthology Volume One (“The Truck Song” and “San Antonio Girl”), Lovett’s first collection of new tunes in seven years is a delight if only because it’s something different from everyone’s favorite cosmopolitan Texan. While My Baby Don’t Tolerate may sound at first like a chip off the old block, there’s still that occasional curious turn of phrase and a heightened soulfulness that’s new. On top of that, this is the most countrified he’s sounded in quite some time, moving from the swing-inflected “Cute as a Bug” and quietly loping “In My Own Mind” to the fitting honky-tonk of “Nashville.” The big surprise is saved for the end where two gospel inspired songs, “I’m Going to Wait” and “I’m Going to the Place,” jump up, seemingly out of nowhere. They seem a bit out of place coming after a set filled with subtlety and introspection, but that’s a minor quibble. Whether the long wait was worth it depends on how big a fan you are, but My Baby Don’t Tolerate is as solid a set of songs as Lovett’s ever released. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait seven years for another one.
This article appears in October 17 • 2003.