Nick Lowe reveals surf rock 'Lay It on Me Baby' with Los Straitjackets, announces new EP 'Lay It on Me'
English singer-songwriter and producer Nick Lowe has announced his upcoming EP 'Lay It on Me' due out on June 5 via Yep Roc Records and has shared a new song 'Lay It on Me Baby' on April 1.
'Lay It on Me' is Lowe’s third EP in two years with Nashville instrumental rock band Los Straitjackets, following 2019’s 'Love Starvation/Trombone' and 2018’s 'Tokyo Bay/Crying Inside'.
Lowe, apart from his solo career with an extensive list of albums, EPs, singles and more, has been a producer and performer on numerous albums by other artists. Most notably, the matching suit and Mexican wrestling mask-wearing group Los Straitjackets have been touring and performing with Lowe since 2018.
Lowe explained the beginnings of 'Lay It on Me Baby' in a statement, which even goes back to the late '60s. He recalls, “CBS had an inspired idea; they invented the sampler LP. It was called 'The Rock Machine Turns You On' and consisted of a dozen tracks, each one lifted from the current album releases of 12 of the label’s ‘second tier’ of talent. It was an unashamed promotional device and sold by the truckload. I had a copy, as did everyone I knew", according to Rolling Stone.
He says, “One night in London a few years back, I had Neil Brockbank and Bobby Irwin (my late friends and collaborators), ’round for dinner at my house", adding, "During what might be described as the ‘port and cigars’ part of the evening, we found ourselves riffing on the idea of producing a sampler for an imaginary record label of its imaginary artists".
"The next day when the enormous cost and limited commercial appeal of such a project became clearer, our enthusiasm soon waned and most of the fruits of the evening are now lost. Two examples however remain. They are ‘Restless Feeling’ originally written for Coastline [and released on Lowe’s ‘The Old Magic’ LP] and ‘Lay It on Me Baby’ for Turk Collins".
In the guitar-driven 'Lay It on Me Baby', with Los Straitjackets backing with their instruments, Lowe sings "Lay it on me, baby. Lay it on me 'til it gets right under my skin. And the merry mood I'm in. Makes way for love" in the chorus. The song gives off instant easy-listening vibes with its surfer rock rhythm and melody, driven forward with laid-back twanging guitar strumming and licks.
At 71, Lowe continues to draw in the awards. In 2019, he was even the subject of a biography by Will Birch, 'Cruel To Be Kind: The Life and Music of Nick Lowe'. It was named one of the best music books of the year by Pitchfork. And in January, he accepted the Trailblazer Award at the Americana UK Awards in London, joining esteemed previous recipients Mumford & Sons and Billy Bragg.
Lay It on Me Tracklist:
1. 'Lay It on Me Baby'
2. 'Don’t Be Nice to Me'
3. 'Here Comes That Feeling (Dorsey Burnette)'
4. 'Venus'