THIS was another Saturday tale of two halves. In the first, Lyle Lovett and his wonderful Large Band teased and thrilled an appreciative audience with a tempting taster of his talents in the second, Mary Chapin Carpenter and her well drilled five-piece band promised much but ultimately did not strike home with the same penetration.
This was a line up to savour. Both artists are nominally considered part of the country music genre, but their range and influences are much wider. Lovett, in particular, over the course of his six album career, has touched on blues, soul, gospel and, of course, country, to help him relate his vivid stories of small desperate people in search of a break in life and in love. A tall thin Texan blessed with a remarkable visage, Lovett conveys a distinctive sense of style and intelligence, both on record and in performance.
This time around he was, if anything, more composed and accomplished. His aptly named Large Band has grown to 16 (four brass, four joyful back up singers, two percussionists, bass, guitar, steel guitar, fiddle, cello and piano), but the playing remains tight and expressive.
The 90 minute set included songs from his latest intriguing collection, The Road To Ensenada. The lighter moments included the Texas swing of That's Right You're Not From Texas and Don't Touch My Hat, but there were plenty of grainy intimate songs like Private Conversation, the intensity of which silenced the audience. Songs from his back pages included If I Had A Boat and his masterly vignette of southern religion, Church, with his four backing singers contributing mightily to the gospel effects. But my favourite moment was the low level philosophical musings of Here I Am, in which Lovett proved himself the master of cool.
Following such a fine show was always going to be difficult, but Mary Chapin Carpenter and her band did not help with what was ultimately a lack lustre performance. Carpenter's ties to country are even more tenuous than Lovett's.
She kicked off full of beans with Shut Up And Kiss Me before introducing a number of songs from her forthcoming album A Place In The World none of which exactly set the house on fire. Indeed, it wasn't until she turned to her lonesome ballad of displacement, John Doe No 24, and the reflective The End Of My Pirate Days that, she began to touch the audience. Interestingly, she was at her most effective minus the band. Fine players they may be, but their casual competence left little room for surprise. After a set lasting about 65 minutes she called it a night with a Van Morrison cover, ending on a high what was for her an uneven show.
