Drops: Lyle Lovett's 'Release Me'

Lyle Lovett has always had a sly sense of humor.

With his current major-label contract set to end, how could he not name his new album "Release Me" (Curb)?

Truth be told, there is a bit of an end-of-the-line feeling to "Release Me" -- which features new Lovett songs; a few covers, including a new version of the title track as a duet with k.d. lang; and some seasonal songs, "The Girl With the Holiday Smile" and "Baby, It's Cold Outside." That's not necessarily a bad thing, especially when it's handled by a master like Lovett, but it does feel more disjointed than most of the albums in his catalog.

After all, "Release Me" has several moments of Lovett inspiration. The stomping "White Boy Lost in the Blues" is filled with clever twists, as Lovett deadpans, "We got you chained to your earphones, you're just a white boy lost in the blues," explaining how some men use the blues as an escape from their otherwise successful lives. His countrified version of Chuck Berry's "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" feels timely today, nearly six decades after the original, as he talks about a guy "arrested on charges of unemployment." He even effortlessly channels a '60s soul revue on "Isn't That So."

"Release Me" shows off so many of Lovett's talents that, instead of a bid for freedom, it actually doubles as a well-constructed audition for his next gig.

LYLE LOVETT

"Release Me"

GRADE B+

BOTTOM LINE A mix of country, blues and Lovett humor