Anthology, Vol. 1: Cowboy Man

by Lyle Lovett

Overview

Check the subhead in the title -- yes, this may be an anthology, but this isn't a greatest hits, it's a collection of songs that emphasize Lyle Lovett's country side and, therefore, is pitched directly at the country audience that never had much truck with him after he started singing "Stand By Your Man," playing with His Large Band, and indulging his passion for Randy Newman. In other words, it's not really representative, particularly in how it consciously avoids his status as a leader of the alt-country movement in the first Bush era. His Large Band, Joshua Judges Ruth, and I Love Everybody are entirely avoided (perhaps saved for Vol. 2), and even good portions of Lovett's country work are ignored, such as "You're Not From Texas" and the rest of The Road to Ensenada, for that matter. That's not really a complaint, but their absence feels more puzzling since two new songs are thrown in for good measure (the really good "The Truck Song," plus "San Antonio Girl"). In any regard, this is a good summary of Lovett's first two albums, containing most of the great songs from those records -- "God Will," "This Old Porch," "If I Were the Man You Wanted," "If I Had a Boat," "Walk Through the Bottomland," and "LA County" are as good as music got in the '80s, and it's a pleasure to hear them in any context. Even so, it's hard to shake the nagging feeling that the whole story isn't told with this collection, and it's even harder not to notice that Lovett hasn't released a collection of original songs since 1996 -- and, for the hardcore fans who are suckered in by the two new songs, it'll be hard not to wish that a full-fledged album is around the corner sometime soon. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	02/10/2023
Label:	Curb
UPC:	0715187899926

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Lyle Lovett   Primary Artist,Guitar (Acoustic)
Mac McAnally   Primary Artist
Stuart Duncan   Guest Artist,Fiddle
Mark O'Connor   Guest Artist,Fiddle,Mandola
Mac McNally   Guest Artist
Vince Gill   Guest Artist
Sam Bush   Guest Artist,Mandolin
Emmylou Harris   Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Paul Franklin   Guitar (Steel)
Paul Leim   Drums
Dean Parks   Guitar (Electric)
Leland Sklar   Bass
Jon Randall   Vocals (Background)
Matt Rollings   Piano,Keyboards
Brent Rowan   Guitar (Electric)
Matt McKenzie   Bass
Viktor Krauss   Bass
Mark Prentice   Organ
John Hagen   Cello
Ray Herndon   Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
J. David Sloan   Vocals (Background)
Jeff Borree   Drums
Eddie Bayers   Drums

Technical Credits

AAA   Mixing,Engineer
Billy Williams   Producer,Associate Producer
Gene Eichelberger   Overdubs,Remixing
Lyle Lovett   Composer,Producer
Doug Sax   Mastering
Robert Earl Keen   Composer
Marty Williams   Mixing,Assistant Engineer
Robert Hadley   Assistant Mastering Engineer
Tom Der   Assistant
Michael Wilson   Photography
Tony Brown   Producer
Jessie Noble   Project Coordinator
Willie Pevear   Engineer