Album Review: Lucero - "When You Found Me"

 

I first encountered goth/alt-country crossover types Lucero with their Among The Ghosts album a few years ago when a friend recommended it to me (although the band have actually been active for over two decades now). A fine slice of dark southern states music, it was one of the better albums of the year and upon finding out that the band had a follow up due out, it was one that I was keenly anticipating.

When You Found Me is essentially a straight continuation of Among The Ghosts and that's not a bad place to be right from the ominous riff of opener Have You Lost Your Way? and the chugging Outrun The Moon which is five minutes long but definitely feels shorter - always a good sign. Similar to its predecessor, the impressive thing about this album is the sheer variety on show here from the skeletal acoustics of Coffin Nails and the title track through Good As Gone which sounds like Tom Petty with the amps turned right up to the honky tonk bar room rock of former single Back In Ohio. Elsewhere, All My Life isn't a cover of the Foo Fighters song but it definitely sounds like something Dave Grohl might have come up with on the acoustic part of the In Your Honour album and City On Fire is just the sort of smalltown psychosis that Springsteen did so well on Nebraska all those years ago.

I really enjoyed When You Found Me - it's a varied album which packs a punch and has plenty of good tunes with the band keeping things impressively tight throughout. If there's any justice, this should hopefully be the album that takes Lucero to a whole new audience on this side of the Atlantic.

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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