Lucero Among The Ghosts

Lucero are a rock band, one that plays music that isn't afraid to hit hard or lay out the boogie, but their notion of good times has never been simple. They know that you need the bad times to make the good times truly meaningful, and it's the darker side of life that takes center stage on 2018's Among the Ghosts. On these ten songs, Lucero's protagonists struggle with lost love ("Among the Ghosts"), brushes with death ("Bottom of the Sea"), wartime separation ("To My Dearest Wife"), loneliness ("Back to the Night"), and other themes that lurk in the emotional shadows, and the music never sugarcoats the deeply personal, sometimes uncomfortable messages in the lyrics. The gritty rasp of Ben Nichols' vocals has rarely been as evocative as they are on Among the Ghosts, still sounding strong as ever but with an unusually broad emotional palette, and Rick Steff's keyboards are used to superb effect, especially the graceful sway of his piano work. Among the Ghosts is more measured and intros