Blue with Lou

Blue with Lou is an album by Nils Lofgren, released on April 26, 2019, through Cattle Track Road Records. Lofgren co-wrote six of its tracks with Lou Reed in the 1970s, with Reed's death in 2015 being the catalyst for Lofgren to record the material at his home studio in 2017. The album received generally positive reviews from critics, who felt that the songs co-written by Reed were the strongest of the material.

Critical reception
Blue with Lou received a score of 75 out of 100 at review aggregator Metacritic based on seven critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception. Uncut remarked that "Lofgren's voice is crackly, but plays perfectly", and Classic Rock called it "a pleasant album and one that covers a lot of bases", while Mojo felt that "the Reed/Lofgren songs muscle their way to the top of the pile". Glide Magazine stated that "the 'less is more' premise remains in effect just often enough on Blue with Lou to certify the record, name associations aside, as a memorable entry in the lengthy discography of Nils Lofgren".

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that "Lofgren achieves a lean, sinewy sound that gives the tight group plenty of room to roam" and while "Lofgren's originals may not carry the same swagger, [...] when they're surrounded by these Reed co-writes, they're given a slight lift: the whole affair simultaneously feels like an affectionate tribute to a departed friend and a resuscitation of Lofgren's gut-level rock & roll". PopMatters' staff opined that "Lofgren rises to the occasion, playing with a sense of abandon and danger that recalls his best work with Grin and blistering, if overlooked, live albums, including 1977's indispensable Night After Night". Hal Horowitz of American Songwriter noted that despite the passage of time since the material was written, "little has changed with [Lofgren's] youthful sounding voice, sizzling guitar playing, melodic songwriting or overall boyish enthusiasm. That makes this comeback of sorts particularly sweet, irrespective of Reed's beyond-the-grave involvement".