Lucero- 1372 Overton Park, Last Day Giveaway, Song Write-Up

Hey folks,

Today is the last day of the giveaway, so get your entry’s submitted (and/or read the original review) here.

For the obsessives among us, I’ve written up a quick blurb about each song.  Mostly it’s all lyrics, cause Ben writes better than I do.

“Smoke”

This song is getting some radio play across the country, and for good reason.  Rick Steff’s piano leads the track, which is another of Nichols’ Springsteen inspired numbers.  When Nichols belts out “unknown and beautiful,” the record takes off and never lets up.

“What Are You Willing to Lose”

This might be the best track on the record.  Though earlier versions of the song were slower, the song rocks here and the lyrics seem to epitomize the Lucero lifestyle and aesthetic (“So what if all my heroes are the losing kind?/ We ended up with nothin’, but we put up a fight/ And most of it was choices we never asked to choose/ The rest of it was luck and now we’ve run out of that too”).  This and “Smoke” are the two biggest chorus vocals that Nichols has on this record (and probably ever).

“Sound of the City”

“I’m falling in love to the sounds of the city/ all these drinks lead me always back to you/ no need to be shy you’re looking too pretty/ please tell me what should I do”

“me and my friends we might not look like much/ but we got the time and we know when to push our luck”

“Can’t Feel A Thing”

The genius in the band has always been the emotional connection they create with their fans.  Nichols writes lyrics that anyone can identify with and this is one of those songs.  Like “All The Same To Me” or “Ain’t So Lonely,” this song has Nichols laying it all out there.  You believe him, because you know he doesn’t believe himself when he sings “I ain’t really worried, cause I can’t feel a thing.”

“she asked me if I loved her and I showed her the tattoo/ it weren’t no answer but for then it had to do”

“The Devil And Maggie Chascarrillo”

This is the other song being played by radio.  It was the first song previewed by the band on their website, and the horn section is really let loose here.  The song itself is a great story based song and shows the influence of Lucero tour mates The Hold Steady and Drive-By Truckers.

“Sixes and Sevens”

Searing guitar lines, soulful horns, and gospel style background singers, I love this song.  Any song with lines like “drinking women, chasing whiskey” is a classic in my book.  It’s a little different from the traditional Lucero style and seems to be a dividing line on Lucero discussion boards.  Either you love it or you hate it.

“Goodbye Again”

This song has been around for almost a decade, and my feeling is that the song has just been waiting for two things:  Rick Steff and a horn section.  It has been transformed into a classic soul number here; Steff’s piano leads the song off, the rhythm section kicks in, and then the horns.

“Johnny Davis”

This song rocks.  I was disappointed about the lack of pedal steel, which was heavily featured in a version of the song from awhile back (I think it was for Canadian TV).

“Darken My Door”

“Can’t say I’ve been behaved/ you wouldn’t believe me anyway/ there have been other women of course”

This is another candidate for best song on the record.  It’s both classic soul and classic Lucero.  The imagery in this song is amazing:   “Your bare feet on hardwood barely make a sound/ From the kitchen to the bedroom with all the lights down/ A glass of water, a whiskey, smoke in your hair/ All I taste is that perfume you wear, that perfume you wear”

“Halfway Wrong”

This song always makes me smile.  The lyrics are about a relationship that probably isn’t healthy and probably will continue for at least one more night, given “another shot and another song.”

“Hey Darling Do You Gamble”

The title and several of the lyrics are borrowed from the late, great  Townes Van Zandt, but the song is clearly Nichols.  This was an early favorite on Lucero discussion boards and I find no reason to disagree.

“Hell now I believe you should run with me/ Until this Texas sun falls into the sea/If I shed this skin of iron and this breath of kerosene/ Now darling would you take a chance on me”

“Mom”

Another favorite, the sound here is reminiscent of the Attic Tapes, “The War”, and Ben’s solo record.  The latter featured Steff and pedal steel player Todd Beane, just as we see here.  The lyrics fit together as beautifully as “The War”, but they hit a little closer to home for most of us.

Mama your boys, we might make some mistakes
But we know where we’re from and we know how we were raised
So don’t you think twice about where we are tonight
No matter how far from home
We’ll be back along
It’s just a matter of time

Home might scatter and fade
With time, all things must change
And the road might take its own course
But at its end Mama we’re still your boys

Mama there’s times that we’ll make some mistakes
We know how you’ve worked and we know how you’ve prayed
Don’t you think twice about where we are tonight
No matter what becomes of us
You gave us enough
Know that we’ve tried

Chorus

Now your mother was sixteen when she married the man she loved
She gave you everything, you gave it all back to us

Mama you know we might make some mistakes
Now if we should falter, it’s us should be blamed
Don’t you think twice about what’s wrong or right

We learned that a long time ago
And we keep it close
You’re with us tonight

Chorus

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About the author:  Specializes in Dead, Drunk, and Nakedness..... Former College Radio DJ and Current Craft Beer Nerd

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