Nick Lowe - The Convincer (2001)

The Convincer is the last installment in a trilogy begun with The Impossible Bird and musically it falls between that record's country-rock and the torch songs of 1997's Dig My Mood. No surprises then, but that's fine, because Lowe hasn't delivered three records this consistent in a very long time, if ever. All three records are warm, intimate affairs, yet they all have a different mood. Bird was a quintessential breakup record, Mood was the soundtrack to a late-night seduction, while The Convincer is a laid-back record that simply feels good. It's a smooth affair, whether Lowe is crooning a cover of Johnny Rivers' "Poor Side of Town" or "Homewrecker," where it's clear that he still loves the title seductress, even if she turned his life upside down. And that's the key to the record -- there's a real sense of joy from Lowe, a sense that he knows he's been in a creative renaissance and that he's enjoying every second of it, and that spills over to the record itself. It's a record comprised of little triumphs -- the relaxed rockabilly of "Has She Got a Friend?," the telling details of "Lately I've Let Things Slide," and the wry ballad "I'm a Mess." At the end of the record, when he's convincing his sweetheart "Let's Stay in and Make Love," the listener is as smitten as the object of his affection. That may not be earth-shaking, but it's thoroughly charming all the same.