Lucero: Alt-country, punk, soul?

• What: Lucero, in concert. The concert is for adults 21 and older.

• When: 9 p.m. Dec. 3.

• Where: Berbati’s Pan, 10 S.W. Third Ave., Portland.

• Cost: $14 through TicketsWest, 800-992-8499 or http://ticketswest.com. $16 at the door.

• Information: 503-226-2122 or http://berbatis.com.

For years, Lucero has been considered by some to be an alt-country band. Even the group’s listing for the All Music Guide hangs that label on the band and lists influences from several standard-bearers of the genre: Uncle Tupelo, Johnny Cash and the Flying Burrito Brothers.

But ask Lucero frontman Ben Nichols about the label, and it’s obvious he always saw his band in a different light.

“When we started, we got lumped in with the alt-country stuff,” Nichols said in a phone interview. “For sure, there’s a Southern accent to what we do, and I think that’s the main reason. And we’re not offended by being included with that genre, but I think from the very beginning, there was always something else in there. We say punk rock, which (guitarist) Brian (Venable) and I definitely were fans of before the band, but we’re also huge indie rock fans. At least in my brain, there’s just as much Archers of Loaf in there as Johnny Cash or Ryan Adams or whatever.”

The talk of stylistic labels is timely these days because “1372 Overton Park,” the seventh and newest album from Lucero, shows that the group is not going to be limited by genre and isn’t afraid to steer its music in new directions.

The Memphis-based band decided to explore the music that most defines its hometown, bringing a strong dose of classic soul into its rocking sound.

The band added horns, and brought on Jim Spake to arrange them. Spake is one of the leading figures on the Memphis music scene. He has worked with Al Green, Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis and a host of other notable artists.

To Nichols, the soul influence goes deeper than the use of horns. The B-3 organ work of Rick Steff also gives several songs a soulful accent. Nichols also credits producer Ted Hutt for pushing the band to add bridges and other song structure elements that enhanced the soulful feel of “1372 Overton Park.”

The presence of a proactive producer such as Hutt was something new for Lucero as well. Hutt is known for his work with the Gaslight Anthem.

While Lucero has worked with notable producers before — including the late Jim Dickinson on the 2005 CD “Nobody’s Darlings” — the band gave Hutt plenty of latitude and relied heavily on his expertise.

“He was always very opinionated, and it was a new experience for us,” Nichols said. “Everybody had to give up a little bit of control and have a little bit of faith in kind of going with Ted’s direction.”

Nichols and his bandmates, Venable, drummer Roy Berry and bassist John C. Stubblefield, have plenty of reason to be happy with “1372 Overton Park,” which is named for the address of a house that had housed four group members at various points and had — until this album — served as headquarters for the band.

But for all of the talk about Memphis soul, “1372 Overton Park” is still primarily a rock ’n’ roll album in the gritty tradition of past Lucero albums. Songs such as “Sounds of the City,” “What Are You Willing to Lose” and “Smoke” set the tone for the album — and establish Nichols’ gravelly vocals.

The horns, though, are a major new presence, adding a layer of soul to the many more rocklike songs and deepening the soulful feel of songs such as “The Devil and Maggie Chascarrillo,” “Goodbye Again” and “Sixes and Sevens,” the last of which is a strutting track, steeped in soul from top to bottom.

“It’s territory that we hadn’t gone into before,” Nichols said of “Sixes and Sevens.”

Adding the organ and horns to the rock ’n’ roll song brought Lucero as close as the band will get to jump rhythm and blues, he said.

Lucero re-creates the soulful tones of “1372 Overton Park” in its live show. Concertgoers can expect to hear a lot of songs from the new album, along with a mix of older tunes, Nichols said.