Step Inside This House - Lovett, Lyle (CD 1998)

This double album is so impressive that a Yankee from Philadelphia can appreciate it! I'm not a country music fan at all, but Lyle Lovett's Texas-style of Rockabilly is enough to make me want to move to the Lone Star State. I understand that it was necessary for Julia Roberts to break up with Lyle, therefore breaking his heart in such a way that he could continue to do the longing, soulful, broken-hearted crooning that he is famous for.

Since this is an album of cover songs, they lack the dry humor that have come to characterize Lyle's other songs. But you don't miss his wildly inventive lyrics at all since the songs that he's chosen for this album are some of the classics of the Texas scene. Cowboy Junkies fans will appreciate the Townes Van Zandt songs, and everybody else will appreciate the covers of Walter Hyatt, Steven Fromholz and some other traditional ballads. Backing vocals from Alison Krauss on some of the songs are an extra bonus.

Whether you're feeling a little like Billy Crystal in City Slickers, or if you ARE Jack Palance's "Curly" from the same movie, you'll appreciate the music on this album. Lyle picks a good variety of songs that cover a good spectrum of Texas tunes. While its a slight departure from Lyle's previous albums, it didn't disapoint me at all as a fan, and I have to rank it up there among my favorite albums from him.