On Natural Forces, Lyle Lovett does what he does best (besides everything)-- he returns to his Americana roots. A combination of covers and a few originals, Natural Forces brings everything full circle for Lyle and his fans after the jazzy excursions of his most recent effort, It’s Not Big, It’s Large.
Lyle Lovett Wears Many Hats (Including Ten Gallon) on Natural Forces
Natural Forces is not as divergent as his last album, It’s Not Big, It’s Large, where Lovett showed his taste for jazzy arrangements. Instead, Lovett goes home to Texas. Most of the songs on Natural Forces are covers of his Texas contemporaries and influences.
The last time Lovett has released an album where the majority of songs were covers was 1998’s brilliant double album Step Inside This House. And like Step Inside This House, Lovett captures the essence of each song with his remarkable talents.
The songs he chooses here are mellower than the ones on It’s Not Big, It’s Large, a nice contrast to that album. Instead, he chooses moody, introspective songs, with the exception of two of his five originals, “Farmer Brown/ Chicken Reel,” and “Pantry,” the other two being “Natural Forces,” “Empty Blue Shoes, and the cringe-worthy “It‘s Rock and Roll,” co-written by Robert Earl Keen.
Excellent Covers on Natural Forces
Not only does Lovett choose some great songs by Vince Bell, Townes Van Zandt, and others to cover here, he shines them up like silver dollars. “Whooping Crane,” written by Eric Taylor, is an absolute heartbreaker in Lovett’s hands. “Bohemia” struts by with its “Minnie the Moocher” beat, and “Don’t You Think I Feel It Too,” by David Ball, is startling in its beauty.
But as far as the covers go, the winner is Townes Van Zandt’s “Loretta.” Townes had never written a song that was on the short side of genius, so it was actually a little disappointing that Lovett played it safe here-- there’s no way to mess up a Townes Van Zandt song. Disappointments aside, Lovett does an inspired job with this love song.
Lyle Lovett: Master of the Double Meaning
This may be the first Lyle Lovett album to feature a song about masturbation. On “Farmer Brown/ Chicken Reel” Lovett regresses to Junior High and proudly crows “I’m gonna choke my chicken, till the sun goes down!” The joke gets old after one verse, but redeems itself with an interlude and outro featuring some amorously clucking poultry.
Lovett is more subtle on “Pantry,” where he implores his woman to be true with the immortal words of love, “Don’t cheat on me with biscuits, or jelly, sweet and blue/ keep it in that place, where you know you will be true.” The metaphor works well, and Lovett expertly plays the similarity of “pants,” “panties,” and “pantry” with his chorus “Keep it in your pantry.” Lyle Lovett is a hungry, hungry man.
Fans should be happy about the return of Lyle Lovett to his roots on Natural Forces. Although It’s Not Big, It’s Large was fun, its on the rootsy numbers like the ones featured here that he is at his best. The only misgiving with Natural Forces is the lack of more originals.
One more misgiving: “It’s Rock and Roll” is more awkward than watching your parents do the Chicken Dance.
Grade For Lyle Lovett’s Natural Forces: A-
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