Smile ~ Songs from the Movies
If it hadn't been so long since Lyle Lovett released an album of original songs--that would be 1996'sRoad to Ensenada--Smilemight seem more significant than it really is. Not that it doesn't contain some wonderful music. But likeStep Inside This House, Lovett's 1998 tribute to his favorite Texas singer-songwriters,Smileonly whets the appetite for more original material. The concept is simple enough: take 12 songs that Lovett has recorded for various movies since 1992 and put them all on one disc. The crowd-pleaser "You've Got a Friend in Me," hisToy Storyduet withRandy Newman, is probably the most familiar of the bunch, followed by Burt Bacharach and Tim Rice's wistful "Walking Tall," fromStuart Little. Even better, though, are the ones that may have slipped through the cracks, such as the gospel standard "Pass Me Not," from 1994'sLeap of Faith, andNat "King" Cole's "Straighten Up and Fly Right," from the 1996 Garry Marshall comedyDear God. And Lovett'sChet Baker-style take on Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies," from 1994'sWith Honors, proves that the Texas troubadour is a much more versatile singer than he often gets credit for.Smilemay not be in the same league as Lovett's best original work, but it's a pleasant enough diversion nonetheless.--David Hill