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Smile for Lyle

An evening with Lyle Lovett and his Acoustic Band is on July 11 at the Royal Theatre
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Lyle Lovett and his Acoustic Band perform at the Royal Theatre on July 11.

While music should be open for interpretation by the listener, Lyle Lovett’s 2007 album, It’s Not Big It’s Large, suggests notions of mortality, loss and the fluidity of time.

It’s Not Big It’s Large opens with a swing fanfare out of Count Basie and then gets serious fast. The African-American voices that accompany Lovett on I Will Rise Up evoke America’s conscience, demanding a better future while acknowledging a troubled history.

For the last few years Lovett has been alternating tours with his own band with songwriter circles when he performs with John Hiatt, and fellow Texans Guy Clark and Joe Ely.

“It’s always fun and inspiring to get to hang out with people you respect and admire, as I do these three,” Lovett says. “Sometimes touring can be an isolating experience. Being able to talk after a show, as we’re rolling down the road, is a similar experience to going out to the local breakfast joint after a gig in the early days.”

Lovett has recorded 14 albums and released 22 singles, including his highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, Cowboy Man.

In 2009 Lovett released Natural Forces, which was followed by Release Me in early 2012, which includes the standout cover of John Grimaudo and Saylor White’s Dress of Laces and Lovett original The Girl with the Holiday Smile. The album peaked at No. 9 on the U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums.

An evening with Lyle Lovett and his Acoustic Band is on July 11 at the Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St. Tickets are available at the McPherson box office, by phone at 250-386-6121 or online at www.rmts.bc.ca.