Lucero – Nobody’s Darlings

Despite what people say about Atticus and their Draggin’ The Lake compilations, you can’t deny the fact that they are good at introducing smaller bands to a larger audience. The compilations features a few big named bands to get the masses attention, and then throw in some smaller, unknown bands to really make the album a winner. Quite often, after a band appears on the Atticus comp, they tend to appear in many other places too. One such band is Lucero. First, they added the song Bikeriders to the third installment of the compilation and now they are about to release their fourth full length album, Nobody’s Darlings, which will definitely help spread the name of Lucero around the globe.

If you enjoyed Bikeriders, then you will enjoy the rest of the album. Right off the back, it is a surprising listen. But after after a few spins, it grows on you, and you can’t help but play it again. The songs are slow, and have an old-timmey feel to them; somewhat like the dreaded genre of country, but a million times better. They are simple melodies built on an acoustic background that flows smoothly. Although they don’t really energize you or move you, it does flow peacefully and calmly; making for a soothing ride of mellow alternative rock.

The vocals are what make the band. They are rough, hoarse, and incredibly scratchy; well worn vocals that have been killed by smoking and drinking that brings a nice medium between early Tom Waits andTim Armstrong. They aren’t able to hit and maintain too many pitches and harmonies, but they don’t need to. The tone and slow pace they are at is perfect for the songs.

Sadly, Nobody’s Darling is not that much of a memorable release. It is a solid release that will be able to get the band’s name out and about, but not one that will stick in the listener’s mind. But on the other hand, even if you forget about it, when you find it in your collection and pull it out for a spin – you will still enjoy it. It is a raw, melodic, southern, acoustic album that will easily be able to survive the test of time.