Nick Lowe”Labour of Lust” (1979) Columbia”I made...

Nick Lowe

“Labour of Lust” (1979)

Columbia

“I made an American squirm, and it felt so right . . .” may be a popular sentiment nowadays among North Korean nuclear negotiators and Serbian warlords, but Nick Lowe had something a little earthier in mind on this lighthearted album, the second of his solo career. Lyrically, Lowe spent the 11 tracks addressing sex, drugs, sex, madness and sex again with a delightfully carefree sense of humor. Musically, he and Rockpile, his steady band of the late ‘70s, confected an irresistibly hummable blend of country- and R&B-tinged; roots music and Beatles-inspired guitar rock. Guitarists Dave Edmunds and Billy Bremner spun off solos that are effortless-sounding but cannily crafted models of pithy brilliance. The album’s modes range from bright pop-anthem productions that ride along on chiming ranks of acoustic guitars and swelling harmonies (including “American Squirm” and “Cruel to Be Kind,” the only Top 40 hit of Lowe’s career) to the solo-acoustic strum of the mock-sincere, cheatin’ heart ballad, “You Make Me.” On that one, Lowe’s excuse-making protagonist sounds seriously contrite until a deliberately ungrammatical rhyme in the final verse wryly undercuts his apologies: “See, I haven’t losed my love/I’m just confused by love/You make me.”

Every track is something to savor. Among the highlights are “Cracking Up,” which sounds like a dryly English response to the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer,” delivered in the accent of a befuddled, working-class Brit who complains of all the pressures he’s under and grouses, funnily, “I don’t think it’s funny no more.”

“Skin Deep” ends Side One with a momentarily sobered, but still very clever, look at the prospects of relationships founded only on mutual attraction: “It’s just belly to belly, but never eye to eye/A moment to treasure is just a matter of time.” But Side Two finds Lowe rollicking along merrily with “Switch Board Susan” and “Love So Fine.” These randy, high-spirited anthems are full of crass double-entendres and less veiled expressions of carnal appreciation that only those terminally-afflicted with political correctness could find offensive. This ain’t the 2 Live Crew; it’s boyish pop innocence with cheek.