He May Love Everybody, but Lovable Lovett’s Not

** 1/2; LYLE LOVETT, “I Love Everybody” ( Curb/MCA )

In the most anticipated album of his career, the Texas troubadour subverts the very reason for the anticipation. Sorry, but you won’t find any odes to Julia or revelations about their relationship. In fact, all of the songs predate the big event. Maybe it’s his small revenge on those who would put him in the fishbowl.

And Lovett certainly hasn’t capitalized on the interest by making an accessible album. With the all-acoustic instrumentation and orchestral shadings, his mix of folk, rags, blues and shuffles has an antique, sepia-toned quality that’s warm and classy. But the energy level ranges from moderate to low, and the songs present a gallery of creeps, cranks and losers.

These Newmanesque tales are meant to have the discomfiting twist of good dark humor, but too often they come off as familiar Lovett shtick. In contrast, his intimate, evocative songs--notably “I Think You Know What I Mean” and “Just the Morning”--seem like genuine expressions of a troubled soul’s fears and hopes.

But with Lovett, seem is the operative word: When an album has not one but two songs about singers who don’t mean what they sing, you proceed at your own risk.