The biggest stumbling block for a band like Lucero—which has sculpted and defined its own sound after what seems like 377 years (give or take) on the write/record/tour circuit—is generating new material that not only cuts the mustard, but doesn’t simply rewrite past glories and successes. Of course, a definite stylistic thread exists—the alt-country folk/punk supporting structure, the honky-tonking old soul feel, and Ben Nichols’ always incisive lyrics and gritty storytelling—but there are spots where you can almost hear Lucero slipping with “The Man I Was” and “Throwback No. 2,” which sound sparse and sleepy, almost lazy. Thankfully, those are the rarer occasions of album number 11, as the Memphis ambassadors display strength after songwriting strength on the infectious chorus of “Went Lookin’ For Warren Zevon’s Los Angeles,” the driving, forceful horns of “Can’t You Hear Them Howl” and the sizzling boogie of “Young Outlaws.”
—Kevin Stewart-Panko
