Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett sprang up fully-formed in 1986, the bastard child of Randy Newman and Townes Van Zandt. His eponymous debut set the pace for future releases, balancing near-perfect ballads ("If I Were the Man You Wanted," "Closing Time") with wry, black humor romps ("God Will," "An Acceptable Level of Ecstasy"). His singing is also in place here, his voice a subtle expressive tool as dry as the West Texas plains.  There are flashes of overproduction, as on the over-amped "You Can't Resist It" (which later found its home on stage in a spare cello arrangement), but overall things are pretty tasteful, like Lovett himself. Also check out Lovett's stunning sophomore effort,Pontiac.--Michael Ruby