Customer Reviews

Pontiac

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I own all of Lyle's albums. This is the first one I ever heard (when I was 5 years old.} It made a very strong impression on me All of his cd's are amazing in their own ways, but I think this one is still the best. I don't like country music, but Lyle has an extremely sophisticated style of songwriting, that incorporates elements of folk, jazz, blues,southern gospel,big band swing, and contemporary country. There is a very sly and smooth quality in Lyle's voice and the way he writes songs that will give you chills. The first song "If I had a boat" is what won me over as a fan. A very catchy and charming folk song with well played twangy guitars. "Give back my heart" is humorous country blues at its best, "I loved you yesterday" is a Texan style country ballad that sounds a little like a Spanish folk song. "Walk through the bottomland" is a great folk song with just the right amount of twang with good harmony vocals from Emmylou Harris {very haunting vibe on this one.} "L.A.County" has an interesting approach, the song is upbeat country, but the lyrics are dark and talk about the killing of an ex lover at her wedding, Matt Rollings plays some great synthesizer on this one. "She's no lady" is a great sly jazzy song. Although it's kind of bitter toward women, its a damn catchy number, good short piano solo too! "Money" is a good blues song about how to get classy women {funny}. Things get darker with "black and blue" very sly with a big band sound you sorta feel like your'e chillin at a smoky jazz club while this song is playing. "simple song" is beautifully morbid. It's a guitar song played around an ominous D minor chord with chilling strings, sounds kinda like Everlast's "What it's like" things get even lonelier and darker with "pontiac" a song with just a guitar and violin about a world war two vet coping with his haunting memories of what he did overseas many years ago... Lyle hits us with the funny and upbeat "she's hot to go" as the closer. If you like this one check out "thats right {your not from Texas}This is an all around awesome listening experience and well recorded/produced album.{I wish MCA would remaster Lyle's first three Cd's, maybe some more pictures or bonus tracks?!} If you like this I would also reccomend Bruce Hornsby's "the way it is" anything by Jim Croce {r.i.p.} and Nick Cave's "the boatman's call." Pontiac is amazing no matter what musical style you enjoy highly recommended!! your cd collection is hurting without it.

Easily, his best album. It has his amazingly beautiful, humorous, poetic lyrics and the music is simple but great. Too many of his albums overuse the Large Band which detract attention from the lyrics without adequately compensating. I've owned this album for over 10 years and, while I own many other CDs, many of the Lyle's, this is a constant favorite. If you buy only one Lyle Lovett album, make it this one.

While this early release of Lyle's is dipped more into country and folk, you will actually hear some of his best song writing on this release. Whether it's the comical "Give Back My Heart" or the completely hilarious "She's No Lady, She's My Wife" to the hauntingly mysterious "Simple Song" (which recalls a likeness to 'Time in a Bottle') to the bluezy/jazzy "M-O-N-E-Y", Lyle entertains you with the charm and wit that he is so famous for. If you are a Lyle fan, you cannot live without this release!!

Lyle Lovett has to be one of the most intelligent songwriters alive. In "If I Had a Boat," a song Sherman Alexie surely would love..."
This boat theme continues into the next song "Give Back My Heart," in which Lyle becomes the object of a boot wearing redneck woman's dreams. "I can't be no cowgirl's paradise," the long faced Texan sings.
The next song "I Loved You Yesterday," will have you singing along while you sway in time to the music.
"Walk Through the Bottomland" is a haunting song about a New Jersey woman who loves a cowboy, whose own heart is with the mistress called the rodeo. "The lady she'd sing him to sleep in the night, and then in the morning he'd go. She loved the darkness and hated the light, along with that damned rodeo."
Side Two contains some great bluesy songs such as "M-O-N-E-Y," and "Black and Blue," which combines big band and blues - with saxophones and tinkling piano keys, is the equivalent of a 1930's detective fiction, with hard-boiled guys and even harder blonde dames. "Simple Song" is another one of those that requires a listen either in the dark with the window open, wind blowing through lightly, or during the day with your eyes closed.
Then we hit "Pontiac" - another emotion crushing song - about a "nice old man" who's haunted by his actions in WWII.
"She's Hot to Go" rounds it all out and is pure delight. (The lyrics are a hoot. Lovett is incredibly self-deprecating) And the music is almost reminiscent of the "Muppet SHow" theme. Bum, bum, bum.
If you haven't tried Lyle, you've been missing everything music has to offer. His later albums pale in comparison, although I enjoyed "Joshua Judges Ruth," an incredibly fun way to combine three Bible verses together. (Personally I blame Julia Roberts for everything his music became.)

The first thing you'll hear when you bring up Lyle with someone is something about his looks. Yes, he is an unusual looking man. Unusual is not ugly or unpleasant, in my opinon. But what that has to do with listening to his music is beyond me. The keyword is that you're LISTENING to him, not looking at him. If for some reason you can't get past his looks, just keep that in mind. And hey- he was married to Julia Roberts for a year- how long were YOU married to her? That's what I thought...

This is Lyle at his best- not too jazzy, not too country, just right. I partciularly love "Walk Through The Bottomlands", a beautiful, haunting song with wonderful background vocals by Emmylou Harris. Equally fine is "I Loved You Yesterday", sort of a slow Texas swing love song. These are my two favorite songs, but every track fits perfectly, and there is no filler.

Lyle is funny, dark, sad, wistful, romantic and yes, sometimes just plain weird. His music certainly has some country elements, and this album probably has more of that than others. But that's a plus, since it's not twangy or pseudo-rock country. This is probably his most accessible album, and the perfect place to start if you don't want his greatest hits. And go see him in concert the next time he swings through your town. He might not be Bruuuuuce, but he's still an incredible live performer.

Lyle Lovett is easily one of the most complete popular musicians around these days. He has a fantastic lonesome, bluesy voice and his songwriting and eclectic stylization is simply ingenious. *Pontiac* is argueably his strongest piece of work, but how can one choose from such a great lineup!

Lyle starts this record with the descriptive and surreal *If I Had A Boat*. This folky, midtempo song has a beautifull, building melody and perfectly sets the tone for the album. *Give Back My Heart* is a hilarious upbeat country-blues song, that you'll be singing and humming along to immediately. Lyle is breathtakingly bold and unpredictable, most notably when he goes through a tune where he hunts down and kills his Ex at her wedding (*LA County*), and right on into a song where he marry's a girl and sarcastically describes the restrainments of marriage! (*She's No Lady*) The music selection remains tasty as Mr. Lovett adds in touches of R&B (*M-O-N-E-Y*), and loungy big-band (*Black and Blue*) without losing any focus. Another excellent song is the title track, a slow acoustic ballad with a haunting fiddle. Lovett's vocal performances are loose and deeply inspired. Just listen to how his voice fades out at the end of Pontiac and then picks up right into the swinging *She's Hot To Go*---"Now to find a man good loving aint an easy thing to do...", from this opening verse, he's got you hooked!

The backing band of musicians are fabulous, and Emmylou Harris' and Francine Reed's backing vocals on a few of the tracks are icing on the cake! The cerebral songs will give you chills and the witty ones will crack you up. Lyle Lovett is truely an American treasure, and the fact that his music is rather uncategorizable makes him all the more appealing. Wish I could give this record 6 stars, it's well worth the trip!

Thanks for reading!

Beautiful stuff! Lovett can sing so beautifully of heartbreak but you have the sense that he never becomes jaded. There's a little place in his heart where he knows the woman who is going to understand him will come along. The first track, "If I had a Boat" is a child's dream grown into a man's:

"If I had a boat, I'd go out on the ocean.
"If I had a pony, I'd ride him on my boat.
"And we would all together go out on the ocean,
"Me upon my pony on my boat..."

Kind of makes me want to saddle up the pony for him or steer the boat, whatever he needs to make his dream of freedom come true.

Pontiac is Lyle Lovett's first album where his mature performing style comes to the forefront, after a first album that was more conventionally country. Musically, this album displays maany of the hallmarks of the Lovett sound, from big band blues swing and jump cuts to country ballads, to the always haunting collaborations with his cellist. Lyrically, this is the album that most sticks in the craw of critics, due to the apparent sexism of She's No Lady and the violence of L.A. County. Though one is never sure when Lovett is kidding, this album as audacious, infectious and generally wonderful. I still find Joshua Judges Ruth to be Lovett's best album, but this is well worth hearing as well.

Having first caught wind of Lyle Lovett in the 80's following a TV concert, I went out and bought this tape and became mesmerized by his singing/songwriting talents. Whether it was from repeated play or some other external forces, my tape broke and I bought it again: one of the very few times I have enjoyed a musician enough to repurchase their material. While the more popular songs on the album (such, "If I Had a Boat") seem to garner the greatest number of reviews, the lesser known songs provide a keener insight into the wit and talent of Lyle Lovett. "LA County" is a personal favorite, though you probably won't find it played on most radio stations because of the "violence." Another is "I Loved You Yesterday" followed by "Simple Song." And I just recently had the opportunity to see Lyle Lovett in a free concert in NY's Central Park. It was 2+ hours of excellent music, covering many of his songs from "Pontiac." It also made me fish out my own Pontiac tape...only to find it had disappeared! So I have just purchased it for a third time! There is no finer Lyle Lovett album than "Pontiac," one that newcomers to Lyle's music should avail themselves of, and old fans should buy...no matter how many times it's necessary.

It is hard to rank Lyle Lovett albums, since he has so many great songs. I have a very difficult time ranking this album above Step Inside This House - the only reason that I do is because every song on this album was written by Lyle Lovett and it has some of my all time favorite songs by Lyle Lovett.

I love the song "If I had a boat" which I think is in a tie with "Here I am" for the most clever & quirky song Lyle Lovett has ever wrote. "M-O-N-E-Y" and "Black and Blue" are in my top 5 favorite Lyle Lovett songs. "She's Hot to go"; "I loved you yesterday"; "She's No Lady (she's my wife)" are three more great songs. How can you go wrong with 6 exceptional songs on one album?