Lucero - Nobody's Darlings

That Much Further West pushed Lucero to new heights. The 2003 success was the band’s third studio album, and while it dimmed in comparison to their self-titled debut, the production quality and, I’m assuming, the heavy touring schedule helped the Tennessean quartet build a much bigger and deeply devoted fanbase. Once again working with producer Jim Dickinson (the Replacements’ Pleased to Meet Me, Big Star’s Third/Sister Lovers), the band continues to churn out Southern soul, fusing it with a punk attitude and a country drawl. These guys drink a lot; they wear flannel and apparently found their influences in the heart of their home, Memphis, as well as in records from Jawbreaker and the aforementioned Replacements, not Uncle Tupelo, which comes readily to mind. Nobody’s Darling solidifies Lucero as a band worthy of the hype. And while Ben Nichols’ vocals are definitely the most “country” characteristic of the group, with the twangy guitars fading out a bit more on each record, the songs themselves are indicative of punk kids raised in the heart of the South told through hard hitting drums, sub-technical but tastefully intertwining guitars, and tales of heartbreak, the hardships of touring. The album’s shining star, “The War,” which is told from the perspective of a World War II veteran, is banged out with more emotion than any track on the record, strengthened by being just Nichols and his guitar. In summary, Nobody’s Darlings is as good or better than any of the band’s previous work, and a resurgence in alt-country among today’s youth wouldn’t be far-fetched based on the feedback Lucero’s been getting over this last year. [www.luceromusic.com]