We sometimes forget the sheer size of the US and the number of great bands of whom we have never heard, even in this access-all-areas age.
Lucero can be added to that list. This Memphis seven-piece, fronted by the gravel-voiced Ben Nichols, have a sureness of touch born of being top dogs in their own backyard for a long time – they’ve been going since 2002.
Their post-punk ethos has evolved into brash, thoughtful, superior bar-band rock delivered with soulful intensity and dramatic flourish.
Nichols' sharp lyrics describe the dilemma of the ageing rocker, romancing the past but facing up to sober reality (The Man I Was).
They wear their influences proudly: the Stones (Can't You Hear Them Howl), The Pogues (They Called Her Killer), while the spirit of Warren Zevon permeates all 10 tracks including one inspired by him.
