Since 1986, Lyle Lovett has released 13 albums and won four Grammy Awards. The singer-songwriter and actor may have started his career late compared to most (he was 30), but with years of experience to back it up, Lovett was able to charm thousands with his knack for musical storytelling.
After his debut album climbed to No. 14 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, Lovett was no longer an unknown talent with an acoustic guitar at hand. His inventive combination of folk, swing, blues, jazz and even gospel music broke traditional conventions of country and folk music, and pushed him to the forefront of country.
With his latest album, Natural Forces, Lovett continues to make his job look easy. It's a quieter affair compared to the splashy It's Not Big It's Large, and is mostly composed of covers. On World Cafe, Lovett performs three originals and a cover of Townes Van Zandt's "Loretta."
This segment originally ran Dec. 17, 2009.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.