Nick Lowe: Dig My Mood (Yep Roc)
Dig Nick Lowe is more like it; an Americana artist through and through even though he's a Brit. 25 years on, this vinyl reissue (with 5-song rarities EP) has to be one of his finest efforts in a very storied and deserving career. And the fact that it followed the equally brilliant The Impossible Bird makes one wonder if this could have been a double album.
The execution of the 12 songs by Lowe (on bass and rhythm guitar) and his stellar backing band (guitarist Steve Donnelly, keyboardist Geraint Watkins, and drummer Robert Treherne) make the whole album feel effortless. And that affords Nick that ability to sing with confidence and conviction. These songs feel like he's lived them his whole life. They have a timelessness that feels like an homage to early Elvis and American crooners like Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé and Tony Bennett. I could image Sinatra singing the ballads "Freezing" or "You Inspire Me" back in the day.
"Man That I've Become" could have been an early hit for Johnny Cash, but even the album's opener "Faithless Lover" could have been a hit for Peggy Lee. Suffice it to say, most of these songs could have been sung by any of the vocal pop stars of yesteryear.
This is a late night album, something to wind down to after a hard night of drinking and/or soul searching. It's a must-listen/own on vinyl.
Lowe is currently on tour with his backing band Los Straitjackets. Check dates here.