It’s been a few years since I’ve attended a religious service. That all changed last Sunday night at Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, where, for the better part of two hours, me and the rest of the fans who'd gathered to see Lyle Lovett became part of his congregation.

Ask a casual fan to describe him and you're most likely to get "He's that country guy with big hair…" Or they throw out the reference that make me to grind my teeth: "Oh, he's the guy who was married to Julia Roberts for a minute." I own 12 Lyle Lovett CDs yet not a single Julia Robert's DVD.) Lyle Lovett began as a songwriter, but was eventually recognized for his own merits and his career has evolved and flourished, his sound incorporating a magical blend of Texas swing, gospel, bluegrass, folk, and country music. Pick up nearly any of his multiple studio releases and you will find some combination of these styles, and not a single one is approached halfheartedly.

On this night, the Rev. Lovett and choir took us all to church with signature numbers like "I Will Rise Up" from 2007's It's not Big, It's Large, a phrase he comically used to describe his band of two guitarists, two drummers (one on a traditional kit, the other on auxiliary percussion), a pedal steel player, cellist, fiddler, bassist, mandolin player who also doubled on acoustic guitar, and Lyle himself on vocals and his own acoustic guitar. Oh, and four backup singers, too!

Large Band, indeed.

This article appears in Nov 25 – Dec 1, 2010.