Raul Malo: Standard deviation

Raul Malo
You're Only Lonely
Sanctuary

It's not often you come across an album of standards that doesn't drown in schmaltz. Overblown and underwhelming, these projects are more often than not a way to crank out that one last contract obligation or to finance a few months in Fiji. For most such albums I assume the artist is taking the easy way out: Why bother with pesky originals when you can borrow someone else's material -- material already proven to bring in the benjamins?

Call me a sucker, but any such skepticism about Raul Malo's "You're Only Lonely" (released Tuesday) melted away after just a few seconds of listening to his buttery, buttery voice. Butter! He's not singing to match the versions of these songs we've heard by the masters -- he's obviously put some thought into it and makes the songs his own. And while most of the selections approach "standard" status to an Americana listener's ears, they're not necessarily standards to the Rod Stewart "Songbook" fans out there (hi, mom). Sure, there's a cover of Etta James' "At Last" -- it's one of the highlights of this album -- but there's also Willie Nelson's "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground" and Sam Coslow's "Tomorrow Night" as popularized by Elvis and many others, including Patty Griffin. You've heard most of these songs, but they're not exacly karaoke favorites.

But Malo doesn't lean on the crutch of familiarity. He applies his amazing voice and laid-back timing to the songs and takes them someplace new. Plus, I'd say he gets a pass on the songwriting, since he's already proven himself by co-writing most of The Mavericks' greatest hits. I suppose we already knew, too, that the man can sing. But here it really reaches out and grabs your attention. His voice can range from wistful and aching to strong and sexy, all without even a whiff of cheese. It's a gorgeous record, perfect for a romantic dinner or just a relaxing night on the couch. The only jarring moment is the CD's single Malo-penned song, "For You." With a strong Latin beat and melody, it's out of place among the torchy slower numbers around it. And it's the one moment in which Malo's voice doesn't seem to be used to its best advantage. Taken on its own, it's not a bad song, but it just doesn't fit here.

A testament to the strength of Malo's voice is the fact that it goes unadorned by harmony or heavy instrumentation on the Peter Asher-produced "You're Only Lonely." It was a good call. While Malo did fine with company during his years fronting The Mavericks, he really shines here with his vocals front and center. The only assist comes on the album's closer, Randy Newman's "Feels Like Home" performed as a duet with Martina McBride, who was maybe a slightly-too-strong choice of partner. They sound pretty together, but the union of two such mega-voices comes off a wee bit overwrought. But never fear -- the song appears earlier on this CD as a solo to better effect.

In fact, I think if Malo was going to use a song title for this album, "Feels Like Home" would have been a better choice, for clearly he's in his element in this classy solo setting, and he's managed to take other people's songs and make them seem right at home with him.