Lucero

Drive-By Truckers guitarist Patterson Hood’s said when he first heard The Replacements, he walked right out and started a band. Ben Nichols probably wasn’t far behind. Like their Alabama brethren, Lucero imbue their country-rock with a scraggly punk fury and couple it with a passion for the lovable washouts, losers and outcasts trying to find their way on the road. Nichols’ gruff, whiskey-and-cigarette scarred vocals were born for this music, conveying a ragged, ripped and torn air perfect for his odes to the brokenhearted and dispossessed. Though they now rival the DBTs as exemplars of that rugged rawk sound, they’ve come a lot farther in a shorter time. 

After leaving Arkansas, Nichols settled in Memphis, Tenn., where he hooked up with Cody and Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars) who lent a hand on Lucero’s 2000 self-titled debut. Deeply informed by trad-country, it was intended as a middle finger to the punks in their scene. A little more rock crept into 2002’s Tennessee. By 2003’s That Much Further West, not only had the rootsy ballads given way to guitars ringing with distortion, but their songwriting had grown more assured. Their snarling 2005 fourth album Nobody’s Darlings, marked the culmination of that trajectory, with a raw crunchy sound that closely resembled their raucous live shows. 

The addition of keyboardist Rick Steff (Cat Power, Twilight Singers) for 2006’s Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers took the band to another level creatively, making for what’s easily their best album to date. Besides adding rich warmth to their crackling rock attack, Steff brought a soulful vibe that drew frequent comparisons to Bruce Springsteen. Last year’s major label debut, 1372 Overton Park, maintains the momentum, while enriching the sound with the addition of horns to accentuate the Memphis soul style. Though crisper, bigger and more polished, it’s just as strong as its predecessor, thanks to Nichols’ continued evolution as a writer. 

Though their performances don’t stray as often into the legendary two-fisted hard-drinking riots taken to the brink of last call, their catalog of songs can go toe-to-toe with any of their peers. It wasn’t always apparent they’d become this good, but now they’re nothing short of awe-inspiring. —Chris Parker