Lucinda Williams
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
Blues, country rock
Status:
Most recent album, West (2007)
See also:
The Official Lucinda Williams page
Comparisons:
A grittier Bonnie Raitt. Also, after listening to these albums repeatedly for the last few months, I've come to realize that many of these songs could actually be Bruce Springsteen songs. (10/00, (neal)
Covers/own material:
Own material on recent albums, covers on very old albums.
General comments:
Blues country rock singer/songwriter with a lengthy career who has sparked ecto-interest. See album comments for more information.
Comments about live performance:
Lucinda was wearing black pants, thriftstore-like western shirt and white vinyl jacket, and a kitschy white cowboy hat. Her band, including Lauderdale on rhythm guitar, backing vocals and harmonica, was very tight.
She ripped through an hour-or-so's worth of material. She was very warm, told funny stories between songs and explained what most of the songs were about. She was rather surprised at the large crowd on a Tuesday night (I'm guessing at least 400). She dawdled between songs and stories, though, so there was no real momentum during the concert.
My only complaint was that she played the new album almost in its entirety. It's great material, but she only did two of her older songs. And no cool covers—which I expected from a revered artist who has always hung with folks in that respected country/folk singer-songwriter group (you know, Nanci Griffith, the late Townes Van Zandt, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, Steve Earle, etc etc).
Still, it was a terrific show. The final song of the main set was "Joy", which is my fave track from Car Wheels. She went all out with an extended jam with the band. (12/98, Plasterofstevie@aol.com)I saw Lucinda Williams at the Shepherds Bush Empire, London, this evening and she was, in a word, astounding. I wasn't a huge fan up until a few hours ago and wasn't going to go until I found that she doesn't like flying and that it's the first time she's been in the UK for 10 years. I only have two of her albums, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road and World Without Tears but will have to expand on that after tonight's performance. (5/7/03, garrick@area51.upsu.plym.ac.uk)
Recommended first album:
Car Wheels On A Gravel Road seems to be the ecto-favourite
Recordings:
- Ramblin' (1979)
- Happy Woman Blues (1980)
- Lucinda Williams (1992)
- Sweet Old World (1992)
- Car Wheels On A Gravel Road (1998)
- Essence (2001)
- World Without Tears (2003)
- Live At The Fillmore (live, 2005)
- West (2007)
Ramblin'
Release info:
1979—Smithsonian Folkways—CD SF 40042 (re-released in 1991)
Availability:
Relatively hard to find, but always available directly from Folkways
Ecto priority:
More for fans. (7/00, neal)
Group members:
Lucinda Williams—vocal, 12-string guitar
Guest artists:
John Grimaudo—6-string guitar
Produced by:
Tom Royals
Comments:
This is the roots of Lucinda's music. There is only one original song, with the rest of the album full of Robert Johnson covers (3), blues standards and traditional tunes. It doesn't have the desperate edge of stronger blues, but it makes for nice listening. Plus, you can hear more of Lucinda's guitar here than on most later albums, and it's definitely her voice doing the singing. While I prefer her later albums, I find this one to be fun to take out and listen to every once in a while. Recently, I've been doing that a lot, and it's starting to grow on me more. It's an album of quiet charms. (7/00, neal)
Happy Woman Blues
Release info:
1980—Smithsonian Folkways—SF 40003 (also re-released in 1991)
Availability:
Hard to find, but available from Folkways
Ecto priority:
Unknown
Comments:
This is supposed to be the album where she starts moving from traditional to modern songcraft. I've never heard it myself. (7/00, neal)
Lucinda Williams
Release info:
Recorded in 1988, released in 1992—Chameleon Records (distributed by Elektra)—61387-2
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended, especially for fans of Car Wheels, gritty folk, blues and Americana. (8/00, neal)
Group members:
Lucinda Williams—lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Gurf Morlix—vocals, electric 6- &12-string guitars, acoustic guitar, mandolin, dobro, pedal steel, lap steel, 6-string bass
Dr. John Ciambotti—Fender 3-string bass, stand-up bass, Kramer/Ferrington bass
Donald Lindley—drums
Guest artists:
Skip Edwards—keyboards
Juke Logan—harmonica
Doug Atwell—fiddle
Steve Mugalian—washboard
Chris Gaffney—accordion
Jim Lauderdale—back-up vocals
Pat Quinn—back-up vocals
Produced by:
Lucinda Williams, Gurf Morlix, Dusty Wakeman
Comments:
The entire blueprint for Car Wheels is evident on this album. It's amazing this album didn't garner the same kind of response, but I guess it's all a matter of timing. You can map the sensitive songs of love and longing ("I Just Want To See You So Bad," "Abandoned," "Passionate Kisses") straight into similar songs on Car Wheels. The rock abandon of Car Wheels' "Joy" is clearly evident in the bitter "Changed the Locks." There's also a cover of Chester Burnett's "I Asked For Water (He Gave Me Gasoline)" which harkens back to her rootsy origins. (8/00, neal)
Sweet Old World
Release info:
1992—Chameleon Records—61351-2 (Chameleon is distributed by Elektra)
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Recommended
Group members:
Lucinda Williams—lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Gurf Morlix—electric and acoustic guitar, pedal steel, dobro, mandolin, lap steel, beer bottle and background vocals
Duane Jarvis—electric guitar
Dr. John Ciambotti—electric and upright bass
Donald Lindley—drums and percussion
Guest artists:
Doug Atwell—fiddle
Byron Berline—fiddle and mandolin
Skip Edwards—Hammond B-3
Benmont Tench—Hammond B-3
William "Smitty" Smith—Hammond B-3
Gia Ciambotti—background vocals
Jim Lauderdale—background vocals
Dusty Wakeman—background vocals
Produced by:
Lucinda Williams, Gurf Morlix, Dusty Wakeman
Comments:
This was my introduction to Lucinda Williams, and I have a soft spot for it. It seems more in the rock side of folk/country rock. Probably the closest comparison that springs to mind is Scarecrow-era John Cougar Mellencamp. Everything that made Car Wheels so popular is evident on this album, just not as fully realized. You have rockers, you have ballads, and you've got Lucinda's great, world-weary voice. One day, it occurred to me that this could actually be a Bruce Springsteen album. (8/00, neal)
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
Release info:
1998—Mercury—314 558 338-2
Availability:
Widely available
Ecto priority:
Very high for fans of hard folk and blues. (neal)
Guest artists:
Gurf Morlix
John Ciambotti
Donald Lindley
Buddy Miller
Ray Kennedy
Greg Leisz
Roy Bittan
Jim Lauderdale
Charlie Sexton
Steve Earle
Johnny Lee Schell
Bo Ramsey
Michael Smotherman
Richard "Hombre" Price
Emmylou Harris
Produced by:
Roy Bittan, Lucinda Williams
Comments:
This is definitely not your typical smarmy Nashville bullshit and hype—it's a gritty and rough-edged tour of the Deep South by a poetess who has been ignored for all of her lengthy career by the public and the critics. ...I honestly don't recall a CD since Fumbling Towards Ecstasy that has monopolized my stereo so totally—this from a guy who generally despises country music. Like I said, she's real. Far and away THE towering masterpiece of the year. (7/98, rkonrad@ibm.net)I had hesitated to buy Lucinda's album because I had the idea that she was pretty much a country artist. But I finally decided to take a chance and was very pleasantly surprised that Car Wheels... is a good mix of country, folk, and rock. I even bought an extra copy to send to a friend who I thought would like it, and the album was a hit with my friend, too! (7/98, Riphug@aol.com)
I haven't had Lucinda's new CD off the player since it came out. I've been a big fan of hers for many years. For those who like the new CD, you might also check out her previous release Sweet Old World. Many of the songs on this release were written in response to her brother's death after a very troubled life. It is a truly powerful work. (7/98, valerie@smoe.org)
Car Wheels On a Gravel Road will probably go down as my favorite album of 1998. I know it'll be tops on a lot of other lists, but hey, it's an amazing piece of work. (12/98, Plasterofstevie@aol.com)
Given my notorious love of Syd Straw's music, no one will be all that surprised that Lu's latest album has taken up residence in my stereo of late. Like Straw, Williams has a rootsy musical worldview, but where Syd's ambitious songs fly through the air propelled by the influence of both Henry Cow and Patsy Cline, Lucinda's four-on-the-floor country rockers are happy to chug forward, hugging the road with their rhythmic melodies and writerly lyrics. (Did that even make sense? Egads!) Lucinda's latest album has been hotly anticipated and could well be saddled with the sticker Straw's solo debut carried nearly a decade ago (cf., "Years in the making"), and the extensive production and overdubs has had many wondering if Car Wheels on a Gravel Roadwould indeed be worth the wait. Lo and behold, this release has the makings of one of the best albums to come out this year. Each song is solid, well-written, well-recorded and well-executed, the pacing is spot on, and the production isn't as bad as something with this reputation could be. And while Williams doesn't have a technically amazing voice—it's a bit thin and nasally in parts—the passion she imbues within it cuts you in two. Her presence, man, she really brings you into the out-of-the-way places she sings about and makes you feel the sun against your back and the cool of the shade. A veritable Carson McCullers of rock. (tugboat@channel1.com)
despite the critical acclaim these albums just don't do much for me. I like Lucinda's self-titled album better—this one just seemed like she was trying to make a serious album—and to me lacks spontaneity and warmth. (jjhanson@att.net)
i've played Car Wheels well over 20 times. I like it. I love "Joy." WXPN amazingly picked it for number one this year. But number ONE???? Ani came in at number 7 and is so much more original both in lyrics and music. Almost every cut on Car Wheels reminded me of many other country female artists and country songs. The words are straight red neck trailer park white trash pathos. But I like to watch Jerry Springer occasionally, and I will occasionally put Lucinda back on too. (FAMarcus@aol.com)
Essence
Release info:
2001—Lost Highway
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Recommended
Group members:
Lucinda Williams—vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, resonator guitar
Guest artists:
Ryan Adams—tremolo guitar
Tony Garnier—bass, acoustic bass
Jim Keltner—drums, percussion
Jim Lauderdale—harmony vocals, backing vocals
Gary Louris—backing vocals
David Mansfield—viola, violin
Bo Ramsey—electric guitar, slide guitar
Charlie Sexton—drums, fuzz bass, 12-string acoustic guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, rhythm guitar, tremolo guitar, guitar loops, hand drums, harmony vocals, percussion, piano, slide guitar, vocals, backing vocals
Joy Lynn White—harmony vocals, backing vocals
Reese Wynans—organ, Hammond organ
Produced by:
Bo Ramsey, Charlie Sexton, Tom Tucker, Lucinda Williams
Comments:
I just like everything she's ever done, and this one is no exception. (dlw@sympatico.ca)
World Without Tears
Release info:
2003—Lost Highway Records—088 170 355-2
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Lucinda Williams—vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
Guest artists:
Doug Pettibone—electric guitars, mandolin (10), harmonies
Taras Prodaniuk—bass, stand up bass (13), harmonies
Jim Christie—drums, Wurlitzer (11), Vox organ (3, 9)
Produced by:
Mark Howard & Lucinda Williams
Comments:
It seems, more than ever, Lucinda's made an album with a range of different styles—folk, country, rock, blues, and forays into spoken word—basically everything you'd expect from a Lucinda Williams album and more. More bite than Essence though not quite as cohesive as Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Live @ the Fillmore
Release info:
2005—Lost Highway Records—B0002368-02
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Lucinda Williams—vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Guest artists:
Doug Pettibone—guitar, lap steel guitar, pedal steel guitar, mandolin, harmonica, background vocals
Jim Christie—keyboards, drums, percussion
Taras Prodaniuk—bass guitar, background vocals
Produced by:
Lucinda Williams, Taras Prodaniuk
Comments:
I've never seen Lucinda Williams live, but this album really makes me hope I get the chance. It's a great selection of her catalog, all performed well. Some songs, especially the more rocking ones, are really outstanding. It amazes me how she can traverse such a range of styles (and change her voice to suit each one) so quickly. Highly recommended, probably essential, for fans. (JoAnn Whetsell)
West
Release info:
2007—Lost Highway Records—B0006938-02
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Lucinda Williams—lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Guest artists:
Rob Burger—piano, prepared piano, Hammond, vox & field organs, Wurlitzer electric piano, accordion
Doug Pettibone—acoustic, electric and baritone guitars
Bill Frisell—acoustic and electric guitar
Tony Garnier—electric bass and double bass
Jim Keltner—drums and percussion
Jenny Scheinman—violins
Rob Brophy—viola
Tim Loo—cello
Hal Wilner—turntable and samples
Gary Louris and Gia Ciambotti—background vocals
Produced by:
Hal Wilner and Lucinda Williams
Comments:
Country-folk, more laidback than her last 2 albums, but with a smoldering intensity, like the most ferocious purr you've ever heard. Definitely her best since Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, though it's not much like that album in style. (JoAnn Whetsell)I'm still getting through my first listen of the Lucinda Williams. After the straight-ahead cookie-cutter predictability of the production on the second track, I was worried, but the rest is making a much better impression. (timjy@sbcglobal.net)
Further info:
Lucinda Williams released the DVD Live from Austin, TX in 2005. She also appears on the DVD Return to Sin City—A Tribute to Gram Parsons (2005).
Thanks to neal and JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.
