Last March, Ben Nichols found himself in the same predicament as every other working musician: at home with an unusual amount of time on his hands. Fortunately, the singer and principal songwriter of the venerated Memphis band Lucero had just wrapped several weeks of touring in January and February, giving him and the group a financial cushion. “We would have been in a drastically worse spot if we would’ve taken the winter off and were planning on starting a tour in March,” Nichols says on a call with Rolling Stone. “That’s a spot a lot of bands got caught in.” Instead, Nichols retreated to his basement and began working on songs for the follow-up to Lucero’s 2018 album Among the Ghosts, a knotty effort that showcased the strengths of his leaner, now five-piece band. When they reconvened in July to record at Sam Phillips Recording Service with Memphis producer Matt Ross-Spang, Lucero had spent virtually no time collaborating on music in the … [Read more...] about Lucero Look to Warren Zevon and Synthesizers on New Album ‘When You Found Me’
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Hear Lucero’s Barreling ‘For the Lonely Ones,’ Off New Album ‘Among the Ghosts’
Lucero will celebrate two decades of soulful rock and ragged country with the release of their ninth album, Among the Ghosts, slated for August 3rd from Liberty & Lament/Thirty Tigers. The first two songs released from the album, “For the Lonely Ones” and “To My Dearest Wife,” premiering on Rolling Stone Country, show the quintet discovering a fresh perspective by going back to their roots. For a band that has come to define Memphis rock & soul over its last few albums – melding Stax-horn accents and R&B swing with guitar-driven, three-chord rock and country songs – dialing back the sounds of their beloved home city doesn’t mean backing down. Instead, Lucero hit reset for Among the Ghosts, recording live and loose at Sam Phillips Recording Service with Grammy winner Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, Margo Price) at the helm. “For the Lonely Ones” is a barreling barroom rave-up, with upbeat, Springsteen-influenced keys and … [Read more...] about Hear Lucero’s Barreling ‘For the Lonely Ones,’ Off New Album ‘Among the Ghosts’