Lucero: 1372 Overton Park, out today

There’s a ton of reviews of this album by Lucero, and honestly you should go read someone’s who knows this band (like Autopsy IV, over at the awesome blog, ninebullets.net) I’m not that person; I’ll say right upfront that this is the first listen I’ve given this band. So why write a review of 1372 Overton Park? I think it’s like asking a martini drinker to judge a bottle of wine. You might get a really cool answer or you might get a really stupid one. It’s a gamble.

Wine enthusiasts are all concerned with “bouquet” and “legs” and fruity this and oaky that. But if you’ve never really drank wine and read the books or talked to the right people, your first reaction to a glass of wine is just “Yeah, that tastes good” and when pressed for a more thorough answer, “Er, it’s … strong?” which only brings a frown to their faces. They thought they really had something in bringing you along, at last a virgin palate! What a fucking letdown.

Well, I hope this isn’t that experience, darlings.  And I’m not sure I’m that martini drinker… afterall, I might have (maybe) somehow turned into an indie girl, but I started out pure rock n roll. And that’s exactly where Lucero sits. This record is just simply a beautiful collection of rock songs influenced by a bit of country music twang and a punk rock backbone, from “What Are You Willing To Lose,” a perfect bar anthem, to “Mom”* a ballad in the truest sense of the word. There’s a ton of hard, steady, banging on the drums. There’s a wonderful amount of horns and rocker piano playing to even out the guitar/bass/drum formula. 1372 Overton Park has a big, dare I say, old-time rock show feel to it? Lucero is touring like crazy this year to support this record and I’m kicking myself already for not seeing them when they came through Chicago. I’m NOT going to miss them the next time they come.

So here’s where I make the dumb-girl comment that Lucero fans will hate mail me for. I love the arrangements, the instrumentation and the songwriting on this album. It honestly reminds me of what rock music was when it ruled the charts. And at the same time I can’t help but think of Dire Straights when I hear Lucero. Now, don’t get me wrong, read this carefully. I have the same feeling about that band. I love Dire Straights’ music to death. Yes, it’s a totally different style, genre, etc., and Dire Straits really milked it for all it’s 80′s guitar-solo-pop glory, but Mark Knopler’s voice eventually got to me. Ben Nichols has the same capacity. His is not a voice that you hear and say, “wow, that’s an amazing singer.” But it is a voice you remember and recognize anywhere. And on tracks like “Mom,” ”Darken My Door” and “Goodbye Again” I absolutely love the raspy sound of it. It just works, and it’s just him. It sounds genuine. On other tracks I find it not as easy to hear. It strikes me sometimes as a bit forced, as if he should be more melodic but he isn’t. Does this make 1372 Overton Park less attractive to me? Hell no! The songs I love, I love, and I can’t wait to hear and see them live. The rest, well… I think I might just be won over; you know how I am, xoxo

Go out and get this record. And have a peek at the latest fan-made videos, commissioned by the band for the new album.

*(yeah, sorry, they gave us no approved downloads, m’dears)

Lucero “Goodbye Again” from Lucero on Vimeo.

Lucero “What Are You Willing To Lose?” from Lucero on Vimeo.

Tour Dates
October 9 – Cannery Ballroom – Nashville, TN
October 10 – The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
October 11 – The Pour House – Charleston, SC
October 13 – Cats Cradle – Carrboro, NC
October 14 – The National – Richmond, VA
October 15 – 9:30 Club – Washington D.C.
October 16 – Starlight Ballroom – Philadelphia, PA
October 17 – Webster Hall – New York, NY
October 18 – The Middle East – Cambridge, MA
October 20 – Lee’s Palace – Toronto, ON
October 21 – The Magic Stick – Detroit, MI
October 22 – Turner Hall – Milwaukee, WI
October 23 – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN
October 26 – Aggie Theatre – Ft. Collins, CO
October 27 – Ogden Theater – Denver, CO
October 29 – The Crocodile – Seattle, WA
October 30 – Hawthorne Theatre – Portland, OR
November 1 – Mezzanine – San Francisco, CA
November 4 – The Casbah – San Diego, CA
November 5 – The Clubhouse – Tempe, AZ
November 7 – Longhorn Saloon – Ft. Worth, TX
November 8 – Fun Fun Fun Fest – Austin, TX
November 9 – Meridian – Houston, TX
November 10 – Alabama Music Box – Mobile, AL
November 12 – Club Down Under @ Florida State University – Tallahassee, FL
November 13 – Czar – Tampa, FL
November 14 – Lizzie McCormick Stage – Orlando, FL
November 15 – Cafe Eleven – St. Augustine, FL
November 17 – Visulite Theatre – Charlotte, NC
November 18 – 40 Watt – Athens, GA
November 19 – Valarium – Knoxville, TN
November 20 – Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
November 21 – Headliners – Louisville, KY
photo credit: Wes Frazer