Joshua Judges Ruth is the title of Lyle Lovett

Lyle Lovett

Lyle Pearce Lovett is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded thirteen albums and released 21 singles to date, including his highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Cowboy Man"...

'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

Old Testament

The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...

: Joshua

Book of Joshua

The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament. Its 24 chapters tell of the entry of the Israelites into Canaan, their conquest and division of the land under the leadership of Joshua, and of serving God in the land....

, Judges

Book of Judges

The Book of Judges is the seventh book of the Hebrew bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its title describes its contents: it contains the history of Biblical judges, divinely inspired prophets whose direct knowledge of Yahweh allows them to act as decision-makers for the Israelites, as...

, and Ruth

Book of Ruth

The Book of Ruth is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh, or Old Testament. In the Jewish canon the Book of Ruth is included in the third division, or the Writings . In the Christian canon the Book of Ruth is placed between Judges and 1 Samuel...

.

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

Mainstream Rock Tracks

Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...

 chart.

Track listing

All songs by Lyle Lovett, except "North Dakota" by Lyle Lovett and Willis Alan Ramsey

Willis Alan Ramsey

Willis Alan Ramsey is an American singer/songwriter, a cult legend among fans of Americana and Texas country. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama and raised in Dallas, Texas. Ramsey graduated from Highland Park High School in 1969, and was a prominent baritone in the High School's Lads and Lassies...

.

1. "I've Been To Memphis"
2. "Church"
3. "She's Already Made Up Her Mind"
4. "North Dakota"
5. "You've Been So Good Up To Now"
6. "All My Love Is Gone"
7. "Since The Last Time"
8. "Baltimore"
9. "Family Reserve"
10. "She's Leaving Me Because She Really Wants To"
11. "Flyswatter/Ice Water Blues (Monte Trenckmann's Blues)"
12. "She Makes Me Feel Good"

Personnel

• Lyle Lovett – vocals, guitar
• Kevin Dorsey – bass, background vocals
• Ray Herndon
  McBride & the Ride
  McBride & the Ride was an American country music band initially composed of Terry McBride , Ray Herndon and Billy Thomas . The group was founded in 1989 through the assistance of record producer Tony Brown...
  
   – guitar
• Leo Kottke
  Leo Kottke
  Leo Kottke is an acoustic guitarist. He is widely known for his innovative fingerpicking style, which draws on influences from blues, jazz, and folk music, and his syncopated, polyphonic melodies...
  
   – guitar
• Russ Kunkel
  Russ Kunkel
  Russell Kunkel , also known as Russ Kunkel, is an American drummer and producer who has worked as a session musician with a number of well-known artists.Kunkel was born in Pittsburgh, PA...
  
   – drums
• Jay Dee Maness – guitar, pedal steel guitar
• Edgar Meyer – bass
• Dean Parks
  Dean Parks
  Dean Parks is an American session guitarist and record producer from Ft. Worth, TX.-Albums:Dean was member of The North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher in 1970. Dean is best-known through his many contributions to albums by Steely Dan...
  
   – guitar, slide guitar, background vocals
• Matt Rollings
  Matt Rollings
  Matt Rollings is an American composer, musician and record producer. He plays piano, organ, and keyboards.Known mainly for playing in Lyle Lovett's Large Band, he has worked with many artists, not all country...
  
   – organ, piano, Hammond organ
• Johnny Lee Schell
  Johnny Lee Schell
  Johnny Lee Schell is an American guitarist and songwriter. In the 1970s, he premiered as a prominent member of a Texas-based southern rock band, Baby. Since his professional debut, he has played with dozens of well known recording artists...
  
   – electric guitar
• Leland Sklar
  Leland Sklar
  Leland "Lee" Bruce Sklar is an American musician, singer-songwriter and film score composer. A prominent bass guitarist, Sklar has contributed to thousands of albums as a session musician...
  
   – bass
• John Hagen – cello
• Emmylou Harris
  Emmylou Harris
  Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
  
   – background vocals, harmony vocals
• Rickie Lee Jones
  Rickie Lee Jones
  Rickie Lee Jones is an American vocalist, musician, songwriter, and producer. Over the course of a three-decade career, Jones has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, blues, pop, soul, and jazz standards.-Childhood:...
  
   – background vocals, harmony vocals
• Arnold McCuller – background vocals
• Kathy Hazzard – background vocals
• Willis Alan Ramsey – background vocals, harmony vocals
• Francine Reed
  Francine Reed
  Francine Reed is an American blues singer.-Biography:Reed as a youth sang at church services, and her music was inspired and influenced by her gospel-singing father. She is the sister of jazz singer Margo Reed.In Phoenix, Arizona, Francine Reed appeared with Miles Davis, Stanley Jordan, Smokey...
  
   – background vocals
• Sweet Pea Atkinson – background vocals
• Sir Harry Bowens – background vocals
• Greg Smith – baritone saxophone
• Larry Williams
  Larry Williams (horn player)
  Larry Williams is an American horn player. He has distinguished himself as a multifaceted musician whose artistry led the late Philip Farkas , to describe him as "an outstanding artist-soloist with fine tone, excellent intonation, superb accuracy, and superior musicianship".Ebony magazine listed Mr...
  
   – tenor saxophone
• Dan Higgins – alto saxophone
• Plas Johnson
  Plas Johnson
  Plas John Johnson Jr. is an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most familiar as the lead on Henry Mancini’s "The Pink Panther Theme"....
  
  – tenor saxophone
• Billy Williams – guitar, trombone

Production notes

• Produced by Lyle Lovett, George Massenburg and Billy Williams
• Ivy Skoff – production coordination
• George Massenburg – engineer, mixing
• Nathaniel Kunkel – engineer
• Gil Morales – engineer
• Noel Hazel – engineer
• Marnie Riley – engineer
• Steve Holroyd – engineer
• Ron Lewter – mastering
• Alan Yoshida – mastering
• Doug Sax – mastering
• Peter Nash – photography
• Michael Wilson – photography
• Tim Stedman – art direction, design
• Jonas Livingston – art direction

Chart performance

Chart (1992)	Peak position
Canadian RPM Top Albums	49
New Zealand Albums Chart	23
US Billboard 200	57