Lucero Marks Twenty Years with Cinematic, Grooving ‘Among the Ghosts’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

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Memphis-based Lucero is one of the seminal bands of Americana music and are marking their twentieth anniversary as a band with this slight departure in sound, the highly literate Among the Ghosts. Recorded in Sam Phillips Recording Service, in-demand producer and Memphis native Matt Ross-Spang is at the helm.

Those who just look at the name may think that Lucero is a Latin band, but no members speak Spanish. The name itself means “bright star,” a light that’s beaming since 1998 with original members intact. Ben Nichols (lead vocals, guitars, mellotron and synths), Brian Venable (lead guitar), John C. Stubblefield (bass and Roy Berry (drums) added keyboardist Rick Steff in 2006. Jim Spake adds sax to “For the Lonely Ones” and Sam Shoup leads a string section for “Cover Me.”

Past albums displayed the Stax horns and pounding Jerry Lee Lewis piano commonly associated with Memphis, but they are not present here. Instead, they bring a streamlined rock n’ roll sound that hearkens back a bit to their seminal influences but it’s more contemporary than retro, inspired in part by both movies (more on that later) and the spirits that imbue the streets of their hometown. Nichols, the principal songwriter grinningly describes the tunes this way, “You could also say there’s a rescue, a getaway, a survival story, and a middle finger to Satan himself.” These are narrative stories, some based in Southern gothic lore owing to O’Connor and Faulkner while others take their inspiration from newer writers like Larry Brown, Ron Rash, and William Gay. Nichols robust, emotive vocals add the necessary drama, pain, or joy.

Yes, and the movies play into it too. Nichols’ younger brother Jeff Nichols is a renowned filmmaker with these titles to his credit – Loving, Mud, Take Shelter, Midnight Special, and Shotgun Stories. Brother Ben has followed suit in some respects, writing cinematic short stories that have similar flavor to those inspired by the Southern authors. It’s also the first time Nichols has written an album since his marriage and birth of now two-year old daughter. He takes on the role of narrator rather than first person, for the most part painting dark tales. The title track describes a haunting, “Bottom of the Sea” a drowning, and “Everything has Changed” a come-to-Jesus meeting with the devil with the chorus line “Somewhere down in hell they call my name.” “Always Been You” is about divorce and “Cover Me” about a shootout.  And, that’s only the first half of the album.

The second half begins with a tender letter from a battlefield across a quieter musical backdrop that leads to shifting dynamics and roaring chorus for “To My Dearest Wife.” Darkness returns in the crime story “Long Way Back Home.” The album’s quietest track, the acoustic-guitar driven “Loving” follows. It appears on the soundtrack of his brother’s movie of the same name.  The downright spooky, eerie “Back to the Night” has music that perfectly frames the spoken word passage from actor Michael Shannon who has appeared in every one of Jeff Nichols’ movies. The title references a line form Nick Tosches’ Jerry Lee Lewis biography, Hellfire. Lucero closes with the Springsteen-esque rocker “For the Lonely Ones.”

After you’ve had time to digest these stories upon first listen, it might behoove you to take another listen to focus on the brilliant and tight musical interplay from this band, honed over countless shows and twenty years of recording. Venable’s guitar is especially outstanding on “Bottom of the Sea” and “Cover Me.”  Steff, long considered one of the best keyboardists in Memphis, is terrific on both B3 and piano, which is the driving force in “Always Been You.” The rhythm section has a command of dynamics that few bands can match.

This “bright star” is shining as brightly as ever twenty years later. Lucero brings intelligent, thoughtful, intriguing stories with an infectious, mood-shifting sound.

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