Like a piped-in soundtrack on a rattling railcar, Nick Lowe’s “Check Out Time” somehow sounds rooted in old-school convictions even as it dashes away from them.
Perhaps only Lowe, the throwback’s throwback, could credibly channel Buck Owens at this late date. Certainly, only Lowe could make it feel brand new. At the same time, the old funny-glasses-wearing new wave guy has seen a lot of landscape race by. There’s no winking irony on “Check Out Time,” the opening cut from his forthcoming Yep Rock Records release The Old Magic: “I’m 61 years old,” Lowe crows. “Lord, I never thought I’d see 30.”
[SOMETHING ELSE! REWIND: A terrific new live album, ‘Live at Montreux 1980,’ documents the power and glory of Nick Lowe’s Rockpile, a lost 1970s supergroup.]
So, the “Check Out Time” here isn’t at the local market. Lowe is running from something far more mysterious, far more dangerous, far more scary. But he’s still having fun — lots of it. And why not? Growing old, surely, is both a curse and a blessing. Nick Lowe covers all of the bases with “Check Out Time.”
The Old Magic, Nick Lowe’s 13th album, is due on Sept. 13. Featured guest performers include Paul Carrack (Squeeze, Mike and the Mechanics, Roxy Music) and Ron Sexsmith. There are seven other original songs included, as well as covers of tracks by Elvis Costello and Tom T. Hall.
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