BOSTON (Reuters) - Recording artist Lyle Lovett can talk for hours about the musicians he respects and attempts to emulate; men like Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark.
But suggest that up-and-coming musicians might view him as having similar stature, and the shy Texan politely begs to differ.
"Well, I don't know that that's true," Lovett told Reuters in his courtly Texas drawl.
Lovett, 51, has just released his 14th album, "Natural Forces," which combines new material with songs by Texas songwriters such as the late Van Zandt, Vince Bell and Eric Taylor, that have long been part of the musician's repertoire.
Lovett and his long-time ensemble, the Large Band, kick off a month of concerts on Monday with a show in Orange, Texas.
Lovett will then rest up before joining artists such as Emmylou Harris and Steve Earle in February for a cruising music festival in the Caribbean, and in March he will make his first tour of Australia.
"Natural Forces" is the second time Lovett has delved into the rich story-telling tradition of the Lone Star state to supplement his own quirky brand of writing, following 1998's double-disc "Step Inside this House."
"The songs on this latest record are all songs that have been part of my musical life since I was 18," Lovett said.
Lovett's own music distinctively melds folk, Texas swing, blues, jazz, gospel, and traditional country and western.
His lyrics often reveal a wry wit, and the songs are often as infused with Texas spirit as tumbleweed and wide open plains.
"It's nice that people sound like where they're from," he said.
The musician lives in Klein, Texas, northwest of Houston, in the house once owned by his grandmother. An only child, Lovett's parents both worked in the oil industry.
RODEO, MOTOCROSS AND SONG WRITING
He dabbles in horse breeding, rodeo and motocross but has no interest in giving up his day job.
