"Step Inside This House, in a way, is a perfect
follow-up to The Road to Ensenada, his straightest country album since
his debut, taking Lyle Lovett back to the very beginning, as he covers
his favorite songwriters. He consciously avoids such obvious influences
as Randy Newman and Jesse Winchester, choosing to concentrate almost solely
on Texan singer/songwriters, resulting in a minor revelation. Lovett's
place in Texas' progressive country tradition has always been evident,
and his good taste has never been in question, but this not only confirms
his strength as a performer, but also illustrates the origins of his clear,
wry narratives. He not only sheds light on songwriters known better for
their reputation than their actual recordings (Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark,
Walter Hyatt, Michael Martin Murphey, Robert Earl Keen), yet he carries
a torch for obscure names like Eric Taylor, Vince Bell and Craig Calvert,
David Rodriquez, and Steve Fromholz, who has no less than four songs on
the album. For all the different writers, what's striking about Step Inside
This House is how all the songs seem to spring from the same worldview.
Few covers albums are as unified and Lovett's achievement is particularly
noteworthy since none of the songs are standards." (Stephen Thomas
Erlewine, All Music Guide)
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