{"id":7360,"date":"2015-09-21T12:14:31","date_gmt":"2015-09-21T12:14:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-lucero-all-a-man-should-do\/"},"modified":"2015-09-21T12:14:31","modified_gmt":"2015-09-21T12:14:31","slug":"album-review-lucero-all-a-man-should-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-lucero-all-a-man-should-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Lucero – All A Man Should Do"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lucero\u201cI was 15 years old in 1989. This record sounds like the record I wanted to make when I was 15. It just took 25 years of mistakes to get it done,\u201d<\/i> says Lucero<\/b> frontman Ben Nichols ahead of the band\u2019s eleventh and, arguably, most poignant record to date. The sense of self-introspection that a statement like that suggests is prevalent throughout a record which carries a real feeling of growing up. That\u2019s not to suggest that lyrically Lucero<\/b> have settled down, but the idea that answers to long held questions on life, love and loss finally need addressing is apparent through questions, observations and considerations weaving in and out of each track.<\/p>\n

Stylistically, the music is every bit the development you\u2019d expect from a band who\u2019ve gone from scruffy country-punk to adding a horn section 6 years ago and surreptitiously morphing into a staple of the blue-collar rock \u2018n\u2019 roll scene. Despite that progression, Lucero<\/b> have never lost their sense of identity \u2013 the songs are still smothered in cheap whiskey and cigarette smoke \u2013 but you don\u2019t last this long in an ever-changing musical industry without getting a little bit slicker with each passing record.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

The danger with throwing together songs that are this heartfelt is that you risk alienating an audience that perhaps haven\u2019t or couldn\u2019t possibly hope to share the experiences they\u2019re based on. There\u2019s a fine line between heart-on-sleeve and self-indulgence and Nichols rides it expertly with further tales of regret and repentance. The idea of waking up \u201cangry at the world and all alone\u201d<\/i> (\u2018I Woke Up In New Orleans\u2019<\/i>) is something most of us have done and will elicit a sage-like nod and a sense of empathy that makes the song even easier to buy into. The horn section on the aforementioned song adds to the sense of melancholy and further serves to get the listener on-side.<\/p>\n

In a world where it\u2019s still considered the done thing to overstretch the truth and milk a situation for all its worth, it\u2019s increasingly refreshing to hear a band like Lucero<\/b> laying themselves bare and sharing their lives in such an honest and endearing manner. The closing pair of Big Star\u2019s \u2018I\u2019m In Love With A Girl\u2019<\/i> and \u2018Me And My Girl In \u201893\u2019<\/i> sum them up perfectly. \u201cLook me in the eyes and tell me one more time, you love, you need me, you\u2019ll always be mine,\u201d<\/i> pleads Nichols, and I think it\u2019s fair to say that the feeling continues to be mutual from those listening in.<\/p>\n

4\/5<\/p>\n

‘All A Man Should Do’<\/em> by Lucero<\/strong> is out now on ATO Records<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Lucero<\/strong> links: Website<\/a>|Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n

Words by Rob Fearnley.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI was 15 years old in 1989. This record sounds like the record I wanted to make when I was 15. It just took 25 years of mistakes to get it done,\u201d says Lucero frontman Ben Nichols ahead of the band\u2019s eleventh and, arguably, most poignant record to date. The sense of self-introspection that a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[4718,864,4134],"class_list":["post-7360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","tag-all-a-man-should-do","tag-ato-records","tag-lucero"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlbum Review: Lucero - All A Man Should Do - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cI was 15 years old in 1989. This record sounds like the record I wanted to make when I was 15. 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