The Road to Ensenada by Lyle Lovett (Cassette, Jun-1996, Curb)

Album Features
UPC:	008811140946
Artist:	Lyle Lovett
Format:	Cassette
Release Year:	1996
Record Label:	Curb
Genre:	Alt Country, Rock & Pop

Details
Contributing Artists:	Randy Newman, Jackson Browne, Shawn Colvin, Chris Hillman, Luis Conte, Stuart Duncan, Valerie Carter, Herb Pedersen
Distributor:	Universal Distribution
Recording Type:	Studio
Recording Mode:	Stereo
SPAR Code:	DDD

Album Notes
Personnel: Lyle Lovett (vocals, acoustic guitar); Arnold McCuller, Sweet Pea Atkinson, Sir Harry Bowens, Willie Greene, Jr., Randy Newman (vocals); Dean Parks (acoustic & electric guitars); Don Potter (acoustic guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Stuart Duncan (fiddle); Garey Herbig (alto, tenor & baritone saxophones); Chuck Findley (trumpet, trombone); Greg Adams (trumpet); Matt Rollings (piano); Leland Sklar (bass); Russ Kunkel (drums, shaker); Luis Conte (tambourine, shaker, percussion); Jackson Browne, Shawn Colvin, Herb Pedersen, Chris Hillman, Valerie Carter, Kate Markowitz (background vocals).Recorded at Conway Studios, Los Angeles, California."The Girl In The Corner" does not appear on the track listing for THE ROAD TO ENSENADA.THE ROAD TO ENSENADA won the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Country Album. "Private Conversation" was nominated for a 1997 Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, and "Long Tall Texan," a duet with Randy Newman, was nominated for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals.THE ROAD TO ENSENADA is another wry collection of twangy gems from this gallant genre jumper. The music, as we have come to expect, floats through styles from big-band swing to dirge-like ditty. But Lovett manages to keep things decidedly roots-oriented this time around. He covers a lot of new ground and yet keep things always sounding familiar. Meanwhile, he shuffles sublimely between being droll and self-derisive. At times he is drolly self-derisive.On the introspective "Who Loves You Better," Lovett plaintively wonders "Why do I do the things that make you cry?" The sparse "Promises" (which first appeared on the movie soundtrack DEAD MAN WALKING) is delicate yet sinister, sung from the apparent perspective of a condemned killer. This album is well balanced, though. Lovett shows his jaunty side in the folksy "Her First Mistake" and in the staccato ramblings of "Long Tall Texan," a frisky duet with Randy Newman.The capricious music on THE ROAD TO ENSENADA is tethered by Lovett's gift for chronicling the bittersweet story of human emotions. So hop aboard and join him on that road--and be sure to thank him for the ride.

Editorial Reviews
4 Stars (out of 5) - A non-classifiable but superior singer-songwriter....he delivers material that spans honky-tonk, Texas teardrop, folk and swing, with deceptive ease....Marvellous stuff...
Q (19960701)

Lyle Lovett's razor-sharp music is as good as roots pop gets, and the poker-faced Texan's sixth album, THE ROAD TO ENSENADA, is his best yet. Musically, it's a seamless amalgam of styles... - Rating: A
Entertainment Weekly (19960621)

3 Stars (out of 5) - ...After his widely publicized split from Julia Roberts, Lyle Lovett could have handily played on public sympathy....Instead, he gives us THE ROAD TO ENSENADA, a laid-back charmer with all the quirky humor and wry wistfulness we've come to expect...
Rolling Stone