Lucero1372 Overton Park
Universal Republic [2009]
Fire Note Says: Move to majors has no effect on the bar band you know and love!
Album Review:
1372 Overton Park represents Lucero's move to a major label and for the most part they are the same band you have known for a long time. In fact, their debut into the majors almost is played too safe. This is ok news for diehards because there are plenty of these southern tinged bar ready tracks, which will play great live and stylistically they will seem as familiar as "Across The River" from their highly revered record That Much Further West [2003]. My fear for Lucero on this record is that they won't get the promotion they deserve. First example is that they had a new record come out and the Universal website still has an old bio posted. That is not what you want when you make the move. One thing that did come along with 1372 Overton Park is production because each song sounds great and has that extra tweak for richness, compared to their earlier records. Lucero is able to accomplish this without losing substance and Ben Nichols gruffy road weary voice has never sounded better. Lucero is a band that deserves their shot at the mainstream and on a track by track basis, 1372 Overton Park still breathes success. Where the record suffers a bit is that it really maintains one tempo throughout, that only hides the bands multitude of talents and tries a bit too hard for the common listener to catch on. Let's just hope they get a second chance at it because they have the capability to blow it out of the park!
Key Tracks: "Sixes And Sevens", "Hey Darlin' Do You Gamble?", "Sounds Of The City"
Bands With Similar Fire:
Drag The River
The Hold Steady
Uncle Tupelo
Ben Nichols: The Last Pale Light In The West [EP] [Fire Note Review 1/14/09]
Lucero: Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers [Fire Note Review 11/28/06]
Official Lucero Website
Lucero MySpace
Lucero Info [Allmusic]
Universal Republic
-Reviewed by Reece Michael
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