The Illuminated Donkey

Lyle Lovett: The Coast Continues. I've written about this subject before, but with the release of his new album Smile, a collection of his songs and covers from recent films, the man who I once considered to be the greatest songwriter in America continues his apparent refusal or inability to write any new material. Since the release of Joshua Judges Ruth back in 1992 (or, to put it another, perhaps more insinuating, way, since his marriage to Julia Roberts), Lovett has released seven albums, including a greatest hits collection, a live album, a collection of songs he wrote before his debut album, a double-album of covers of songs by Texas songwriters, a soundtrack with instrumentals and some old songs, this new movie collection, and exactly one album of new material. Seriously, this is the kind of discography one expects from the Sex Pistols or Tony Bennett or somebody, not a guy who should still be writing new stuff. Feh on him.