CD Reviews

Nick Lowe

At My Age | Yep Rock

By BRETT MILANO | August 7, 2007

3.0 Stars

Now that Nick Lowe consistently delivers albums as wise, tuneful, and warm-hearted as this one, would we dare criticize him for not rocking? Well, maybe just a little: after four ballad-heavy discs (beginning with 1994’s The Impossible Bird), it wouldn’t kill his integrity to have a Rockpile-style bash just once. Still, it’s worth remembering that Lowe’s rock albums were running out of steam long before he abandoned the format, and that the post-Bird albums have been virtually filler-free (if short — this one’s a typically scant 33 minutes). Once again he draws mainly from deep soul, country, and traditional pop, but this time he rolls all three into a personalized mix instead of jumping around. Although the relaxed tempos (and the title) nod to his advancing years, most of the songs concern the more youthful topic of new-found love. The singer’s personal life is clearly on an upswing, so there’s nothing as angst-ridden as “The Beast in Me” (his best-known song of recent years, thanks to Johnny Cash). Indeed, this is a spiritual cousin to John Hiatt’s Bring the Family (on which Lowe played bass), an album about second chances and unanticipated contentment. But Lowe knows that his fans are a bit more cynical than Hiatt’s, so he throws in enough wry jokes and left-field rhymes to remind you that he’s the same guy who once made Labour of Lust. And, by the way, he’s never sung better.

Related: Lowe life, Nick Lowe: Jesus of Cool, Boston music news: February 22, 2008, More

Topics: CD Reviews , Johnny Cash, Nick Lowe, Nick Lowe, More

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