Lyle Lovett and His Large Band - It's Not Big It's Large [Deluxe Edition]

Mixed Bag

Let me first say that I have been a Lyle fan since his debut in the 80's and sometimes he can do some very impressive releases and sometimes he misses the mark a little. This release was a mixed bag for me. I can appreciate songs like "Tickle Toe", but it's not something I listen to all the time. For me, the gems on this release are the beautifully haunting "I Will Rise Up" and "Traveling Around" - both of which have earned a place in my Top 10 all-time favorite songs of Lyle Lovett. I also enjoy "No Big Deal", "Make It Happy", and "Alley Song", but the rest of the release I can do without - just not my cup of tea I guess. June 13, 2008

You Get What You Never Expect From Lyle Lovett!

Lyle Lovett and His Large Band have been a staple on the concert circuit for, perhaps, 20 years now, and so it's a delight to hear studio versions of some of the songs that the ensemble has made so memorable over the past three or four years.

Not all the personnel on the record are the same fine musicians who tour with Lyle, but their performances on this disc are special nonetheless. And you get to hear the divine Francine Reed, and "Sweet Pea" Atkinson and Harry Bowens, two of the best vocalists in America. All three are stalwarts in The Large Band.

Lyle Lovett is among the finest songwriters in the United States, and when he digs into the trove of folk and country music in the public domain, he always mines something special. You can hear the evidence of his success throughout this very, very fine disc. The accompanying DVD is also worth watching, to see the respect and joy with which Lyle and his fellow artists make this great music.

If you have never seen the Large Band, go buy tickets right now -- you'll really enjoy yourself. Those of us who HAVE seen Lyle and the group can't wait for the next time! April 20, 2008

Do you see this smile?

Since moving to Slovakia, I don't hear a LOT of Lyle Lovett...ummm...okay...I don't hear *any* Lyle Lovett, and that's sad. I have the CD case for the Live from San Antonio album, but somehow the CD didn't make it through, so when I saw this newest release, I ordered it, and had it sent to my sister, who then sent it on to me. The whole process is complicated. It arrived, over the weekend and I've been so happy with it. The music is great, ranging from Swing (Tickle Toes) to gospel, to that blend of wry humor and country that is uniquely Lyle Lovett. The musicianship on this album is wonderful. The lyrics are charming and witty and thoughtful. The DVD is going to be shown to my High School music students to show them how music is put together in a studio, and how collaborative it is. This album is the marvelous singer, songwriter, musician we all know and love. And if you've never bought a Lyle Lovett CD? Get this one (or Road to Ensenada) You won't be sorry. January 27, 2008

The Genius Creates Yet Another Masterpiece

My Girl is a singer who knows just about all there is to know about music. I'm not. ...but I know what I like. She turned me onto Lyle a few years ago and since then I bought every CD, 2 DVDs of Lyle and saw him twice in person. I listen to every single song he does as they shuffle through my iPod. Yesterday I stumbled across this new CD and immediately snatched it up. I had no clue it had even been released. It doesn't disappoint! It got me dancing around with the schnauzers all morning in 2 full listenings. I would expect to get just a CD at the price, but the DVD that was included was a huge bonus! My only disappointment is minor. When trying to load the CD into iTunes the tracks are not automatically named as most CDs seem to conveniently do now-a-days, requiring about 20 minutes of work to manually name each Track. My gal says Lyle is old fashioned about that technology stuff. I can easily forgive Lyle for that. January 17, 2008

It's Not Big, It's Bad

I've been a Lyle Lovett fan from the first album, but this is the second of his albums of recent vintage that is second-rate at best. Aside from the first cut, the one featuring the large band, and parts of a couple of other cuts, it is filled with inferior lyrics and music. Repeating the same lyric over and over again to a boring melody hardly merits a second listening. I've read and heard some glowing reviews of this album, but I just don't get it; this is really bad. Lyle is capable of much much better. I know that writing new material is difficult, but surely one should not be satisfied with mediocre. Make it good or don't record it. We fans are gullible, but not stupid. October 24, 2007

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