Pontiac
Pontiacis Lyle Lovett's finest album, but it still contains the strengths and weaknesses that have become Lyle's hallmarks. Crack playing, keen observations and clever lyrics, and a neo-traditionalist aesthetic that pulls in everything from Texas folk, honky-tonk and Western swing to old-school pop all shine brightly here, but they're consistently dulled by an ironic distance and a bitterness toward women that approaches misogyny. OnPontiac, the strengths generally win out, however, as Lovett convincingly stalks an old lover ("L.A. County"), says "take my wife, please" ("She's No Lady"), and, on the title track, offers a character sketch that could've been penned by Raymond Carver.--David Cantwell