This Week's Forgotten Gem of the '80s - Lyle Lovett's "You Can't Resist It"

Although he emerged for reasons I still have trouble grasping as a mainstream country artist, singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett has occupied a huge variety of musical spaces in his nearly 25 years on the music horizon. Even so, there's absolutely no good reason why "You Can't Resist It," a straightforward pop/rock song of the highest order from Lovett's self-titled 1986 debut, didn't become a huge hit on some chart or the other. This song demonstrates such a surplus of quality that it manages to neutralize the rather dated production that threatens to overshadow the proceedings. But ultimately it's impossible to argue with the tune's central guitar riff, a rock groove that's far more permanent than it seems on its glossy surface. Lovett's vocals have no peer in popular music no matter which era you scour, and any music scene that has room for him (even if it's late-'80s mainstream country) couldn't be all bad, right? I'll get back to you on that one.

• Sample or download "You Can't Resist It" here.
• Compare prices on Lyle Lovett CDs here.

Album Cover Image Courtesy of Curb/MCA