Bill Lloyd – Back to Even

When the rootsy-pop Mount Rushmore is constructed, Bill Lloyd will be holding down the George Washington slot. (My tabletop mock-up has Marshall “Abe” Crenshaw as the other bookend; the Tom and Ted slots remain open.) Many folks’ introduction to Lloyd came courtesy of the mid-’80s country duo Foster & Lloyd, but he started out in the late ’70s, first with Southern Star (a band that also featured Kim Richey) and then with the new wave-leaning Sgt. Arms. In addition to three previous full-length solo albums, Lloyd has recorded with the Sky Kings and with Jamie Hoover, teaming up with the latter earlier this year for a hook lover’s feast titled Paparazzi. And his discography reveals involvement in an incredible 28 “various artists” projects, ranging from tribute albums to regional and international compilations.

Lloyd’s work has consistently been of such high quality that, of Back To Even, you might think “ho-hum, another four-star effort” and elect to pass it by. Here’s some unsolicited advice: don’t. Instead, dig in and appreciate any number of memorable moments, some striking, some subtle. There’s the album-opening title track whose first 15 seconds define the word catchy while housing the memorable scene-and-album-setting line, “I’ve been in the red and I’ve been in the black/It’s good to be back to even.” Seek out Rusty Young’s pedal steel exclamation points on “Dancing With The Past”, and Richey’s harmonies and Peter Case’s harmonica on the Lloyd/Case cowrite “For The Longest Time”. (Other guests and/or co-writers include Don Dixon, Clive Gregson, Beth Nielsen Chapman, and Nashville chamber-pop band Swandive.)

Perhaps most of all, savor the collective chime that is “Kissed Your Sister”, which is equal parts nostalgia and regret with an undercoat of giddiness. The song, like Bill Lloyd, is monumental.