Step Inside This House

It had always been clear from his mischievous fusion of genres that Lyle Lovett believed there was more to the Texas musical tradition than meets the eye. That’s why when he assembled Step Inside This House—his expansive two-disc 1998 tribute to Texas songwriting—he didn’t focus on the old legends or even a broad overview of styles. He put the spotlight on his peers, as if to say the tradition isn't stuck in time; it’s being written right now. The material is drawn from heroes of the singer/songwriter scenes in Austin and Houston: Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Steve Fromholz, Walter Hyatt, and Lovett’s old Texas A&M compatriot Rover Earl Keen. Lovett treats the material with as much respect and affection as if he were cutting a program of Hank Williams or Frank Sinatra. But this isn’t a musty tribute—it’s a living exchange. Among the lesser-known beauties is the sweet “Sleepwalking,” written by Willis Alan Ramsey. He shared Lovett’s taste for folk and jazz but never had the chance to show his stuff to a larger audience—until Step Inside This House.