"Greatly expanding upon the seemingly unlimited promise of his self-titled
debut, Lyle Lovett returns with the exemplary Pontiac, which finds him
sharpening his renowned songwriting skills while moving further away from
traditional country without a single misstep. Opening with the arch "If
I Had a Boat," Lovett proceeds to subvert the Nashville formula at
every turn, next delivering "Give Back My Heart," a not-so-subtle
dig at country's key demographic, and "L.A. County," which twists
the classic revenge song to its ultimate extreme; in between he delivers
a pair of stunning love songs, "I Loved You Yesterday" and the
elegiac "Walk Through the Bottomland," the latter adorned by
haunting vocal support from Emmylou Harris. Still, it's the second half
of Pontiac where Lovett really spreads his wings, rejecting Nashville
conventions to move headlong into jazz and blues territory; tipping his
hand with the wonderfully snarky "She's No Lady," he quickly
asserts himself as a jack of all musical trades, capable of mastering
big band workouts like the slinky "Black and Blue" as well as
beautifully mournful ballads like "Simple Song," Pontiac's centerpiece
and arguably Lovett's finest moment to date." (Jason Ankeny, All
Music Guide)
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