Search - Lucero :: Tennessee

The big buzz coming out of Memphis.

Scott Porch | Savannah, GA USA | 10/31/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Memphis is the only place in the world this band could have come from, and that's where they came from. Memphis is seedy, dark and makes for more decadent fun than I should have had during the three years I lived there. It has a thriving live music scene, a rich history of blues and and rock and roll, and plenty to write songs about.



Lucero's Ben Nichols writes about familiar blues territory of lost love in one rocker of a song ("Starlite Diner") but isn't above writing about lost balance in a lovely ballad ("I'll Just Fall") about getting falling-down drunk. He has a hard, raspy voice that reminds me of Mike Ness (Social Distortion), and its distinctiveness will be one of the major reasons for the band's inevitable breakout. (The biggest reason will be the band's stage presence; I've never seen better musicians have a better time on stage.)



"Tennessee," produced by Cody Dickinson (North Mississippi All-Stars), is more of a studio album than the band's first CD. The background vocals and heavier layering were jarring at first, but my reference point was pure live and a very live-like first album; it improved significantly with repeated listening. The instrumentation is solid: a good variance from song to song of electric and acoustic guitars, stand-up and electric bass, and, occasionally, steel guitar.



The songwriting isn't complicated -- girls and drinking -- but Nichols handles it with a sophistication of a Ryan Adams or a Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) and is often remarkably visual. "Smoking the cigarettes more than I should/My hands won't stop shaking and that can't be good/I would forget you if I only could/Think about anything else," he sings in "Slow Dancing," with a voice that sounds like he has sung one song too many but it's OK because you know he's supposed to sound like that, which, come to think of it, is exactly what I liked about Memphis."

Again

Scott Porch | 03/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For quite some time Memphis has gone voiceless. The city to which Robert Johnson ventured to find his death, from which Elvis benefited the world , and from which Sam & Dave sang sad songs of lonesome heartache, has gone without its true reflection from which it inspired the world. Again, the world can be inspired by the heat and muddy banks that have influenced the delta soul. This soul has finally been truly reflected again through Lucero and its modern conujurations of country, rock, and punk."

"It's nights like these when I don't want you anymore..."

jad | Memphis, TN United States | 01/16/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard to believe that Lucero hasn't been snatched up by a major label yet. They are absolutely one of the best bands I have heard in a long time. Hailing from Memphis, TN and the surrounding areas, places known worldwide for great music, Lucero is settling into the long line of great Mid-South artists on this solid effort. Lead singer Ben Nichols sometimes writes with a simple and cliched pen (i.e. - songs about chicks, drinking and broken hearts) but he definitely makes it work. These songs, with their beer-soaked lyrics and bitter-sweet melodies, will stick in your gut for a long time to come, evoking memories of lost nights and heart-wrenching relationships gone wrong. Try "Here at the Starlite" or "Nights Like These".

Some will be tempted to lump Lucero into the Alt-Country camp, but their music encompasses so many genres, from country to punk to the blues to just plain rock, that it's really hard to categorize them. And there's no better place to witness this melting pot of sound than at one of their shows. Listening to this CD is one thing, but seeing this energetic band in person is quite another. I'm not sure that I've ever been around a band that brought so much feeling and excitement to a live performance and was able to draw those exact feelings from the crowd. Seeing them live really is like hearing them for the first time every time; each show seems to get better and better. That's especially true now with the addition of their new guitarist. No matter what style of music you love, Lucero will not disappoint. Do yourself a favor, buy this record, crack open a beer and enjoy."