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Lucinda Williams Still Suffers |
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Written by COSME VIVANCO
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Friday, 25 May 2007 |
Judging by her new album, West, it appears that Lucinda Williams has moved on. Gone is the blending of country, folk, and blues that has made her sound rather predictable and replaced with a rich tapestry of sounds, courtesy of producer Hal Wilner.
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Paul Stanley
|  Entertainment
 Art
"West"
(Lost Highway)
Released February 13, 2007
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Fans will be disappointed at the radical changes in her latest work, but the ambition has paid off with quite possibly the best album Williams has recorded in her career. The album’s opening track, “Are You Alright?” rings like a passionate hymn to a former lover or a loved one in their time of need. Whatever the case, “Are You Alright” is the best song that Lucinda Williams has ever recorded.
The bulk of the writing was inspired by the death of her beloved mother (“Mama You Sweet” and “Fancy Funeral”) and the bitter end to a relationship (“Come On” and “Everything has Changed”) While “Are You Alright” sounds like a plea to a former love, “Come on” is a kiss-off to a former lover that is so cold that it would’ve made Exile in Guyville-era Liz Phair run for the hills.
Despite the adventurous changes to her music, one thing remains constant: Williams’ ability to allow the listener to suffer with her. The music works when the listener is suffering right along with Williams as she spills out her emotions with a seductive drawl that continues to get better with age. At times, the album is downbeat. Clearly it was Williams’ intention to make an album that was reminiscent to Bob Dylan’s Time Out of Mind which she cited as a heavy influence for her 2001 release, Essence.
But the bone-simple sound is a tight companion to the lyrics that poured onto the page from Williams’ heart. She sounds more inspired and more complete in her work and personal life. And, while the listener feels reluctant to walk through the broken pieces of Lucinda’s past, at the end, it was well worth the trip.
Sometimes we cringe when an artist makes a leap forward in their work, because we’re not sure where he or she is leading us to. West is not a monumental jump for Lucinda Williams, but it’s a refreshing escape from the conventional sounds that made her the Queen of Alternative Country. Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
