Joshua Judges Ruth by Lyle Lovett

Joshua Judges Ruth is the title of Lyle Lovett's fourth album, released in 1992. While the album does not have one theme that binds all the songs, several tracks deal with "high concepts" such as religion ("Church") and death ("Family Reserve" & "Since The Last Time"). Lovett's renowned sense of humor and whimsy are temporarily set aside in favor of reflective musings on heartbreak and loss. The album's title is a pun made up of the names of three books that appear sequentially in the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, and Ruth. In keeping with Lovett's other releases, Joshua received critical acclaim but failed to vault the singer into mainstream success. First single "You've Been So Good Up To Now" was a minor hit on rock radio, peaking at #36 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.