Album Review – Lucero’s “All A Man Should Do”
Where would the current generation of alt-country and Americana artists be today if it weren’t for Ben Nichols and Memphis-based alt-country band Lucero? The earnest songwriting you see from artists like Jason Isbell, Matt Woods, John Moreland, and Justin Townes Earle, to the reckless abandon in performances from Austin Lucas and American Aquarium, Lucero’s influence is smattered across stages, interwoven into lyrical runs, and mashed into the melodies of so many bands who had Lucero records blaring from their speakers during their formative years of music discovery that the music of today wouldn’t be nearly as potent without them.
Of course all the classic influences like Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt are still there, as well as the alt-country gods like Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams. But Lucero’s journey puts them in that sweet spot where right as many of today’s emerging Americana stars were learning their licks, it was Lucero they were leaning on. Who knows how many great songs and how much bad singing they’ve inspired, but nobody can sing bad as good as Ben Nichols, except maybe Tom Waits.
Lucero has released twelve albums since 2000, getting their big shot on a major label back in 2009 when they signed with Universal Republic. But looking back now, that had to be a lark for both Lucero and Universal. Lucero’s place is in the trenches, and over their now 17-plus year run, they’ve hit the road as hard as anybody—another attribute they’ve passed down to many younger bands. But they’ve had their successes too, and have “made it” if anyone has in that quasi country rock space that bands never seem to launch to the big time from, but burrow down in with a bunch of loyal fans who’d bleed for them if called upon and will pack out a theater.
Lucero’s new album from ATO Records called All A Man Should Do finds the band in prime form. That’s easy to do when you’ve had virtually the same basic lineup since inception. Ben Nichols, Brian Venable on guitar, John Stubblefield on bass, Roy Berry on drums, and Rick Steff on keys make up the long-standing nucleus of the band that can’t help but let their Memphis roots show, including incorporating horns into their music when they can.
Wherever you run into great songwriting, it tends to involve someone unburdening their soul with very personal stories and knowing how to deliver them. That’s what All A Man Should Do exemplifies in its ten tracks. In songs like “Went Looking for Warren Zevon’s Los Angeles,” “My Girl & Me in 93′,” and “I Woke Up in New Orleans,” you don’t have to squint to see these songs come straight from someone’s heart to stain the recording with authenticity.
At the same time Lucero throws you a curveball on this new record when they perform a rare cover—“I’m In Love With A Girl” by the fellow Memphis-based cult favorite 70’s band Big Star. They even convinced original Big Star member Jody Stephens to sing backup on the tune. It sticks out a little bit in the track list, but has its own personal meaning to the band, especially since this album was recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis—only outshone by Sun in Memphis for legendary recording spaces.
The song “Throwback No.2” is where you really hear the Memphis influence come through, and though the song starts off kind of simple, it rises with horns to become one of the best tracks, again punctuated by the personal nature of the material. But for my money, “Can’t You Hear Them Howl” is where All A Man Should Do hits its high water mark. A Lucero melody isn’t going to reach out and grab you, but it slowly seeps into your bones until you crave it like barbecue. “Young Outlaws” was about the only time on the record it felt like the melodies were more borrowed.
Perhaps still too young and hungry to regard as legends, but wildly influential in the alt-country/Americana field and beyond, Lucero is a must for your audio library, and All A Man Should Do is another worthy addition.
1 3/4 of 2 Guns Up (8/10)
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September 22, 2015 @ 9:11 am
Been a Lucero fan for quite a while now. I had heard some negative things about the album prior to the release but I have no idea what that’s all about it. It’s a kickass album if I’ve ever heard one.
September 22, 2015 @ 9:12 am
I really dig the album. I was a little nervous coming in, as the tracklisting and interviews were name dropping artists I’ve never heard (Big Star, Warren Zevon). But after doing a little research, I realized I actually knew a bunch of their songs. This is definitely their most polished effort & it’s neat that they pay homage to their inspirations, but it definitely highlights the difference in age between the band & a large portion of their crowd. I’m a fan of their entire discography and after a few listens through I love this album, even if for the first time they’ve made an album that my mom will enjoy too.
September 22, 2015 @ 9:28 am
I’ve been a Lucero fan for a long time but thought they lost the plot a bit on the last few. But this record is stunning. Best thing they have done since “Nobody’s Darlings.” Ben sounds better than ever — he can convey more emotion in one word than most artists in an entire record. Brilliant record. In my top 3 of the year, easily. And I wasn’t expecting to like it.
September 22, 2015 @ 2:32 pm
I definitely like this one a lot better than Women & Work, but maybe not quite as much as 1372 Overton, but their first 3 albums will always be my favorites.
September 22, 2015 @ 10:21 am
great effort by these guys. I’ve been a fan for quite some time, and feel that they are just getting better and better every year. their punk sensibility’s mixed with their southern Tennessee regional influences epitomizes the outlaw country spirit of the 70’s and 80’s
September 22, 2015 @ 11:00 am
Gimme shelter…
September 22, 2015 @ 11:59 am
Great record!!! The Big Star cover made me smile too.
September 22, 2015 @ 1:37 pm
This Is Not Country Music:
I have never heard of Lucero but I thought I’d give Can’t You Hear Them Howl a listen. Ignoring the subjective side of the song (i.e. whether I like it or not), objectively this is clearly not country music.
You state that it is alt-country or Americana. So would you expect this to be played on country radio stations?
September 22, 2015 @ 2:05 pm
Cowboyal,
Nobody is calling this country music. I went out of my way to not call it country music. I did go out of my way with the first two paragraphs to explain why it is important to country music. No, I would not expect this to be played on country radio stations. Lucero has been around for closing on a decade as a very important band in the alt-country/Americana space. You may not like them, and that’s totally okay. But they are completely in the realm of the music Saving Country Music, and other roots-based music website cover, and have always covered. We’re all music fans first.
September 23, 2015 @ 9:18 am
I’m actually glad to see the review. In this new world of country music it’s hard to even know what “country” is anymore. These guys are solid alt-country and fit in just fine. Great review on one of my favorite bands.
Thanks!
September 23, 2015 @ 12:50 pm
My post was not intended as a loaded question. I was genuinly interested to know whether you believe the song has a place on country radio – to which you gave a logical reply. I believe it was a reasonable question to ask given the name of the website.
I specifically avoid subjective statements as I find such reviews pointless. There are numerous traditional country songs that I do not like and there are many non country songs that I do like. It just comes down to personal taste and such debates are fruitless.
However objective discussions are a different matter. For example a song can objectively be analysed to assess to what degree it is country or not. This I find interesting.
As for the influence of Lucero, as I said I am not aware of them. Simply I do not have the time due to life commitments to research the country music genre to anywhere near the depth of knowledge that you posses.
However I do not believe historical knowledge about a music genre plays any role in the enjoyment of the music. Yes, it will provide a deeper appreciation of what you are listening to and where it originated from, but this does not translate into liking the music.
I can spend decades researching rap, gaining a full appreciation and historical development of it. But in the end I will not like rap music.
September 23, 2015 @ 9:52 pm
I got ya, sorry if it sounded like I was jumping down your throat. But no, it does not have a place on country radio at all.
March 26, 2018 @ 7:50 am
no less country than Sam Hunt, and he’s played on country radio all the time. If I had to choose a non country artist to play on country radio, I would take these guys over Sam Hunt, FL/GA line etc. any day of the week.
September 22, 2015 @ 2:34 pm
It’s great to see Lucero get some recognition on here, even though their current output isn’t as country leaning as their earlier music.
September 22, 2015 @ 7:37 pm
Nothing remotely country about The Attic Tapes…
September 22, 2015 @ 8:21 pm
Really? This doesn’t sound like a country song? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6hTUuAVHns
September 22, 2015 @ 9:45 pm
Sounds more like soft grunge-rock. The vocal style reminds me of Nirvana’s “Come As You Are”.
Nice song, but there is nothing about the vocal or musical style that distinguishes it as country.
September 22, 2015 @ 10:00 pm
…which would be appropriate, since nothing about this review distinguishes it as country.
Have the demographics of Saving Country Music really shifted so dramatically that it is somehow a surprise when I do a review of a band like Lucero? Part of this must be bred from not knowing about the history and influence of the band in country, and maybe it’s on me for not being more expressive about it, but I did dedicate the first two paragraphs on the subject. This seemed to be a similar concern when I reviewed Barrence Whitfield a while back. All it tells me is I need to continue to review artists on the periphery of country until it no longer becomes a shock to people, and folks understand what the greater goal of Saving Country Music is all about.
Frankly, I think it has been a dereliction of my duty to take eight years before finally posting a feature on Lucero.
September 23, 2015 @ 7:25 am
I actually think this is a perfect record for Trigger to review here. He covers the classic sounding artists but he also covers the artists who show how you can be classic w/ a slight branching out of your sound and not turn into total crap (Metro Bro country). This is a great record IMHO. The lyrics and storytelling are all there like classic country and at a minimum, these guys are solid alt-country/rock.
Part of the reason I like this album so much is that they took a few chances on their sound this time while keeping the cool stuff too. It sounds fresh instead of a repeat of themselves. It also helps the songs are top notch.
September 23, 2015 @ 8:18 am
I think he was referring to the youtube clip from The Attic Tapes, which was in response to the innacurate original posters comment that they are getting less country as they go. I think they started as a rough shod punk band, perhaps cowpunk and have explored a variety of genres from Memphis soul to Southern Rock over the years. Thanks for covering Lucero FINALLY Trig! They fit right in with the site IMO. The Barrence Whitfield album was one of the highlights of the year for me, so I was also happy to see that show up too.
September 22, 2015 @ 3:05 pm
Yes Good band, and good to read this story, as usual Great web page here, and remember, don’t listen to fm radio anymore!
September 22, 2015 @ 3:45 pm
I haven’t journeyed through their discography yet, but if “Nights Like These” doesn’t move you, you might be emotionally vacant.
September 22, 2015 @ 6:52 pm
I say the same thing about “The War.”
September 22, 2015 @ 7:46 pm
“I’ll Just Fall” is another song where, if you don’t feel anything, you never will be moved by any song.
September 23, 2015 @ 8:20 am
I think they’ve outdone themselves here on “Woke Up in New Orleans,” arguably the most melancholy Lucero song ever recorded.
September 22, 2015 @ 3:58 pm
at first I thought they had played it safe with this record, nothing really jumped out for me, but it’s grown on me in the short time that i’ve had it. i’ve probably listened to it no less than a dozen or more times. it (like all of their stuff) is addictive. i love it.
September 22, 2015 @ 6:56 pm
First time I heard Lucero was a couple years ago. I had torn my MCL, but it was my heart that was aching. A bartender played some stuff from “1372 Overton,” I remember “Can’t Feel a Thing” in particular. I wasn’t as lonely after hearing Ben’s gravelly voice.
September 22, 2015 @ 8:30 pm
IMO, this is one of the most talented touring bands out there. I’ve seen them as a full band and Ben solo. They can rock the doors off the joint and turn around and play some great country songs all in one show. Ben’s songwriting is as genuine as it get even its not always country. Like trigger mentioned, Lucero has influenced so many bands and is very well respected and not to mention some really cool guys.
September 23, 2015 @ 5:26 am
Trigger I love it that you reviewed this album. Like you said, Lucero is not necessarily country but they are important to country because they show that artists can still do what the legends before them did and that’s create songs with characters, stories, and emotions delivered poetically.
Their album “Women and Work” I think was a bit of a let down. It lost that dark raw edge that always seemed to be there with Lucero’s previous work. But I think they found that again on “All A Man Should Do.” I’ve probably listened to it at least 15 times straight through and loving it.
Also check out Ben Nichols solo album “Last Pale Light In the West.” In my opinion this is a great Americana (possibly even could be labled country) album and it’s lot more than just “The Walking Dead” song. It’s tough to find in stores, at least where I live, but it’s on ITunes.
September 23, 2015 @ 8:27 am
As a huge Cormac McCarthy fan, I absolutely LOVE Nichols’ solo EP. I wish he’d record another one. Also, don’t forget about Lucero’s wonderful acoustic EP Texas & Tennessee. Some folks on here are whining about how they aren’t “country” enough, but that’s a solid release that should appease even them.
September 23, 2015 @ 11:17 am
I’ve had “Blood Meridian” on my list to track down and read for awhile. Never heard anything but good about McCarthy’s writing.
And you’re absolutely right about Texas and Tennessee. The title track is one of my favorite songs by them.
September 25, 2015 @ 10:06 pm
speaking of country, any plans on covering the new Joe Ely record?
September 25, 2015 @ 10:16 pm
Yes. Jam packed release cycle this week. Been reviewing albums left and right and I’m still way behind.
September 29, 2015 @ 7:57 am
Dixie Dan Coburn introduced me to this band a few years back after he moved back to Michigan from Memphis. I started with their self titled album and moved on to Tennessee. IMO those albums are hard to top. Their last album was a disappointment to me and one of the videos seemed to be awful bro-country type content and I wondered if Ben was joking around with that video or had they just gone down hill. This new tune sounds very promising and I look forward to hearing more. Hopefully they’re back.
September 30, 2015 @ 7:56 pm
I love Lucero. This is an example of where SCM is not trying to compare everyone to Waylon Jennings and not “evolve” Lucero is not country but it has roots and soul that make me feel similar to what I feel listening to Waylon and Johnny. The other similarity is I don’t think Ben gives two shits what the mainstream music folks think about him but boy do they have a strong group of followers.