Album Review: Women And Work Lucero

Memphis country-rockers Lucero started their career railing against musical paradigms dominating their hometown – playing country fare at punk gigs – but recently they've embraced their city's rich musical history. Their sixth album 1372 Overton Park (2009) incorporated Memphis horns and dipped into the verdant soul history of Stax and beyond, and they've continued steadfastly down that path with follow-up Women & Work.

Frontman and songwriter Ben Nichols' expressive voice is a huge part of the Lucero bluster, a life-ravaged rasp that reeks of whiskey and smokes and gives great power to his tales of the women and work alluded to in the album's title. This collection of songs is more upbeat across the board than past efforts, with none of the 'crying in your drink' soul-crushers that litter earlier albums, although It May Be Too Late and Sometimes are more downbeat than their counterparts, and I Can't Stand To Leave You deals with familiar tropes of heartbreak and yearning. Elsewhere reflective lament When I Was Young is a thoughtful glance at former glories, and both the jaunty title track and upbeat Like Lightning are destined to become live faves.

The only real problem with Women & Work is that (apart from the possible exception of the choir that dominates Go Easy) there's not much ground covered here that Lucero haven't traversed before, but that's a minor gripe when the songwriting and musicianship are as strong as what's on offer here. In a world where inferior bands like The Gaslight Anthem are revered, let's hope Lucero leap to that next level soon because they clearly deserve it.