CD Review

Over the course of four full-length albums, Lucero has developed a raucous style that balances strained country ballads with pure rock and roll. Beginning with the band's 2001 eponymous debut, the Memphis, Tenn. quartet has maintained an irreverent blend of country and punk that, over time, has been blurred into a very cohesive and organic coupling. While the band's studio work has resembled the softer, more subtle side of Ben Nichols' (singer, guitarist) songwriting, Lucero's live shows have maintained a fiery intensity reflective of its punk influences.

With the release of Nobody's Darlings, the band has finally bridged the gap between recording and performing live, offering the rowdiest batch of songs yet, all while maintaining the pained longing that runs like heart strings through the band's repertoire. "Bikeriders" and "Noon as Dark as Midnight" exude strong whiskey and southern guitar, banged out with a punk abandon, compared to the gentle, longing-filled with drawl of the title track and the rolling "Hold Me Close."

It’s clear that Nobody's Darlings is a consummation of Lucero's past and present, melding the slower, ballad-driven focus of earlier albums with the punk approach grown from nights on the road. Produced by legendary producer Jim Dickinson, the album's sound cuts through the skin of Lucero, exposing the bone, blood and emotion that seems to proliferate each time Nichols and company pick up their instruments while in the same room.