Rob’s Album Of The Week: Lucero’s When You Found Me

It seems like yesterday when I was a snotnosed and awkward teen watching one of my brother’s skateboarding videos and I heard Lucero’s “Tears Don’t Matter Much” for the first time. Being a bit sheltered, I didn’t know who wrote that song until college but I could always recognize that beginning guitar riff. Nearly 20 years later, it’s awesome to know that this rock & roll band from Memphis is still going strong. Their punk and country infused sound has evolved into a sonic arsenal and their eleventh album, When You Found Me, that came out via the band’s own label Liberty & Lament on January 29 exemplifies it. One noticeable aspect of the new release is the production quality courtesy of Matt Ross-Spang, who produced Lucero’s previous album Among The Ghosts in 2018.

An interesting fact about the album is that it was recorded at the historic Sam Phillips Recording Studio, which is another reason for the astounding sound. Both Ben Nichols’ and Brian Venable’s guitars have a major presence along with Nichols’ voice being at the forefront. I love Rick Steff’s skills on piano, accordion and organ, he adds a stellar dimension while giving each track more of a body. Roy Berry on drums and John C. Stubblefield on bass set the tone and structure in songs that tell genuine and real stories. It’s a fantastic record that fine tunes a lot of elements with a clean and…