Lyle Lovett discusses fatherhood, new music ahead of Southern California shows

It’s been a year since singer, songwriter and producer Lyle Lovett put out his most recent album, “12th of June.”

The effort is his first album in a decade and the follow up to 2012’s “Release Me.” In yet another example of the pandemic getting in the way of the best laid plans, Lovett had things all lined up for a much earlier arrival of his latest batch of music. But he’s back out on the road now and looking forward to sharing the songs and messages on tour with his Large Band this summer.

The crew hits the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach Monday, July 3 and Tuesday, July 4 before heading to The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano on Wednesday, July 5 and the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills on Thursday, July 6.

“We’ll play material from across my catalog, but we will definitely feature material from this (new) album,” the 65-year-old Texas native said during a recent phone interview. “It’s always fun to have a new record out and it’s always fun to have a reason to play those newly recorded songs.”

The album was recorded in November 2019, with the idea of finishing by March of 2020, Lovett shared.

“I did an acoustic group tour that started in January and ended up on the 7th of March that year,” he continued. “I was going to spend the rest of the month working on the record and finishing it for a 2020 release. And of course, that did not happen.”

While Lovett did at least get to join his Large Band in the studio and record the basic tracks for “12th of June,” the pandemic had a huge effect on the work required from that point forward to finish the album.

“My recording process is such that I’m usually in the room for every playback and every change,” he said. “Part of making a record is getting to be in the room and getting to work (in person) with your producer and recording engineer — and with the musicians, of course, which I got to do on this one. But the post-production is a very important part of the record and a very important part of enjoying making a record. So I hope we don’t ever have to make a record in isolation again.”

So better late than never, fans of Lovett finally have new music to enjoy. And while Lovett, one of music’s finest and most literate songwriters, has done his share of excellent albums that lean toward country and feature a good bit of acoustic instrumentation (like his second album, 1987’s “Pontiac,” 1992’s “Joshua Judges Ruth” or even “Release Me”), “12th of June” is his third studio album to be billed with his Large Band.

With this 14-member ensemble of talented musicians, Lovett is able to greatly expand his musical reach. That’s obvious right from the start of the Chuck Ainlay-produced “12th of June,” which opens with a version of jazz great Horace Silver’s “Cookin’ at the Continental,” a lively instrumental that lets the Large Band showcase their considerable chops. Three duets with Lovett’s long-time vocal counterpart, Francine Reed, further cement the jazz credentials of all involved as they tackle two songs associated with Nat King Cole, the peppy “Straighten Up & Fly Right,” the bluesy ballad “Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good To You,” as well as the David Frishberg-panned standard “Peel Me A Grape.”