This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Lyle Lovett is one of those guys who keeps in touch — even if he doesn’t write much.
Since 1998, the idiosyncratic Texas singer-songwriter has issued a live CD, a covers album, a soundtrack and two compilations. But his latest entry My Baby Don’t Tolerate is, believe it or not, his first album of all-new songs in seven years. That’s enough right there to make it essential for Lovett’s patiently faithful fan base. Luckily, however, there’s plenty about these 14 cuts to endear them to the casual follower of Lovett’s quirky career too. My Baby Don’t Tolerate packs all the musical sophistication, gentle melody and witty literacy that define Lovett’s best work, but without the silly eccentricity that sometimes mars it. In other words: There are no songs about penguins here. Just 56 straightahead minutes of snappy honky-tonk, zippy country swing, woozy blues, rich gospel and laid-back ditties about pickup trucks, gals from San Antonio, Saturday nights and good ole boys named Danny Ray — all voiced in Lyle’s downhome, butterscotch twang. Our only quibble: Two of these songs were first released on 2001’s Anthology Vol. 1, which makes you wonder how old the rest of this material is. Granted, this doesn’t diminish the songs in any way. But it does make us wish yet again that Lyle would write more often.
