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Album: Lucinda Williams, Blessed (Lost Highway)
(Rated 4/ 5 )
Reviewed by Andy GillBlessed improves upon 2008’s lacklustre Little Honey simply because it boasts a better set of songs, most of which are treated to Williams’s signature style of soul-tinged country-blues, using organ and pedal-steel guitar to light her sandpaper vocal rasp.
Tracks such as “Don’t Know How You’re Living” find her exploring a Dylan-esque lyrical mode of repetitive litany, reaching a dramatic, incantatory intensity in “The Awakening”. Elsewhere, her familiar anger drives the raggedy blues-rock kiss-off “Buttercup” and the Springsteen-esque “Seeing Black”. But it’s the gentler tracks that impress the most: the slight but moving “Sweet Love”, the sultry “To Be Loved”, and “Soldier’s Song”, in which a reluctant combatant sends a final regretful message home.
Vote early and vote often. đ
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2011/02/25/what-record-are-you-most-looking-forward-to-next-week-11/
http://www.offbeat.com/2011/03/01/lucinda-williams-blessed-lost-highway-records/
Lucinda Williams
Blessed
(Lost Highway)
01 March 2011 â by Brian BoylesAs heard here, Lucinda Williamsâ voice seems to be losing shape, a battered piano, muddled at some places, strangely fitting at others, wearing out in its own unique way. Matched with pedal-steel guitars as on âCopenhagen,â the voice bleeds like watercolor, threatening to lose form and wear out the paper. At such points, the words matter more than ever. On this release, we get mixed signals.
Williams has always favored parallel structures. On several of these tracks (the noir blues âTo Be Lovedâ), they refuse to pay off, though the title track conjures up her great songwriterâs spiritâdirect, nostalgic, Whitmanesque. Elvis Costello offers up some fierce guitar on âSeeing Black,â and with Don Was at the helm, the album maintains the proper contour and shimmer.
âSoldiers Songâ is a stark, line-by-line contrast between life on the battlefield and life back home. War is brutish, but such simple treatment feels like short shrift for the subject and the singer. Then again, âUgly Truthâ catches that wee-hours conversation when it really doesnât matter what the person does, you simply want them to do something, cursed though you both are.
At a few points on Blessed, you want Williams to dig the knife in further and push herself past foreboding hints. Then, she closes things with âKiss Like Your Kiss,â a waltz that sums up years of work and reminds that the night has many turns left.
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/02/23/2674765/new-on-audio-lucinda-williams.html
New on audio | Lucinda Williamsâ âBlessedâ
By TIMOTHY FINN
The Kansas City StarLucinda Williamsâ new album is getting strong reviews for its powerful emotion. For her 10th studio album since 1979, Lucinda Williams turned to producer Don Was to bring out the grief, grit, pain and passion she expresses over the course of 12 songs.
âBlessedâ is one of several noteworthy albums due to be officially released on Tuesday. Early reviews are positive; some are glowing.
From directcurrentmusic.com: âââBlessedâ ⌠still has its share of bluesy barstool rock and twangy spunk as exemplified on lead track âButtercupâ ⌠With Williams doing her best slurred Jagger swagger vocal, the song simply, effectively packs a sonic and emotional wallop. âKiss Like Your Kiss,â meanwhile, a lovely slow-dancing waltz of a ballad featuring Elvis Costello on harmonies, is a powerful showcase for Williamsâ weary, tear-stained vocals, and the tender âSoldiers Songâ speaks powerfully of the emotional toll taken on an enlistee and his family.
âA deluxe version of âBlessedâ will include âThe Kitchen Tapes,â a collection of the original demos for the album recorded at Williamsâ kitchen table.â
Uncut magazine: âThere are a couple requiems to departed friends ⌠Set to autumnal piano and pedal steel, the wistful âCopenhagenâ pays tribute to her late manager, Frank Callari. Most plangent is the blistering âSeeing Black,â which charts the decline of old cohort Vic Chesnutt. A hulking guitar solo courtesy of none other than Elvis Costello provides extra bite ⌠a vivid, highly emotive record.â
âThe Guardianâ: âElvis Costello is among those contributing to the guitar-heavy pieces, but itâs the gentle âCopenhagenâ and the mournful âKiss Like Your Kissâ that are the standouts, their reflective qualities intensified by Williamsâ racked vocals.â
The BBC: âNothing in the production interferes with the songs. In âSoldierâs Song,â where she sings the parallel stories of a serving soldier and his wife and child at home, the same chords, in the same sequence, go round and round, allowing the lyric to develop and reach its inevitable conclusion. âSweet Loveâ does the same. No need for embellishment when whatâs being sung about is so powerful.â
âThe London Mirrorâ: âWry ânâ lusty with sharp-shootinâ guitar riffs, the casual but brilliant opener âButtercupâ sees Lucinda recalling a female version of Keith Richards. Elsewhere, her 10th album has a soulful down-tempo mood as it mourns absent friends and hymns newfound contentment.â
http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/musicandnightlife/116815943.html
Lucinda Williams keeps it raw in solo acoustic show at Turner Hall
By Erik Ernst, Special to the Journal Sentinel
Feb. 24, 2011 9:10 a.m.Remove the support of backing musicians, and you’ll often discover the true essence of an artist.
Lucinda Williams, however, has brought her raw emotions to the forefront of her heartbreaking and unflinchingly honest songs for decades.
When she took the stage Wednesday night at the sold-out Turner Hall Ballroom with just an acoustic guitar to accompany her, Williams took fans even deeper inside a body of work that melodically spans country, blues and folk traditions and emotionally explores heartbreak, nostalgia and love.
Through her 105-minute set, the songwriter was talkative, gracious and expressive. Swaying back and forth as she strummed the chords of the opening, “Side of the Road,” Williams’ voice carried the introspectively inquisitive lyrics. Despite an occasional cough between songs, her vocals were in fine form, resonating richly as she denied the hurt of lost love in “Jackson.”
Williams was not an infallible performer. But the vulnerabilities she displayed – restarting a couple of songs because of a missed line from her onstage lyric book or a missing capo on the neck of her guitar – actually endeared her more to the crowd as they shouted and clapped in support.
Throughout the concert, Williams shared stories behind many of the songs. Some of the anecdotes added light touches, like her memories of eating the Cajun delicacy boudin while driving from Texas to her native Louisiana with the friend who inspired “Lake Charles,” or that she altered the religion of a late friend’s family to Pentecostal in “Pineola” simply because she said it seemed to fit the song better.
Others were more poignant, including a reflection on the memories – good and bad – of her grandmother’s house, conjured up in “Bus to Baton Rouge.”
Williams also included six songs from “Blessed,” the new album she is releasing next week. “I Don’t Know How You’re Livin’â” was a slow ode of reassurance, concern and support. The optimistic lyrics of “Born to be Loved” were juxtaposed poignantly with a soulful blues melody.
For her first of two encores, Williams addressed current events in the world economy and Wisconsin. In the lowest register of her voice, she sang the Skip James Depression-era Delta blues tune “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues.” She noted that she heard from a fan that her song, “Joy,” had inspired some of the protesters in Madison.
“I’m really proud of the state of Wisconsin,” Williams said, before belting out the song’s defiant lyrics.
Dylan LeBlanc opened the show with a 30-minute set of thoughtful country songs. The 20-year-old Shreveport, La., native has a distinctive vocal tone – ranging from a smooth tenor to a mournful wail – that carried the melancholy lyrics of “Changing of the Seasons” from his 2010 debut “Paupers Field.” But it was his impressive, finger-picked guitar work that gave melodic character to the Western ballad “Death of Outlaw Billy John” and the slow Southern soul of “Emma Hartley.”
LWjetta said:
Blessed just keeps climbing in the ratings.
As of today.
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #4 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
#4 in Music > Pop
#4 in Music > RockAND, the price is now down to $11.99. Per TomO’s explanation of dynamic pricing, I would assume this could be attributed to higher sales volume. đ
Right after the Grammys it looked like there was a big spike in sales for the award winners, and there’s still some residual effect in the rankings. It’s great that Blessed is holding its own despite that.
Password – BLESSED
Hey ParkerCA, are you on Facebook? If not, here is the link for today (only) pre-sale; password is BLESSED. đ
http://www.freep.com/article/20110224/ENT04/102240341/5-questions-singer-songwriter-Lucinda-Williams
5 questions with singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams
1:53 AM, Feb. 24, 2011MARTIN BANDYKE
FREE PRESS SPECIAL
8 p.m. Wed.
The Ark
316 S. Main,
Ann Arbor
734-761-1451
$45, $52Patience was a necessity for fans of Lucinda Williams back in the early days of the singer-songwriter’s career because she tended to take her time releasing eagerly awaited albums. For the last decade, however, the gifted Americana artist has been releasing music more frequently. Her latest effort, “Blessed,” comes out Tuesday. The thematically wide-ranging disc, which contains both hard-edged and romantic reflections, was coproduced by Oak Park native Don Was of Was (Not Was) fame and includes Elvis Costello on guitar.
Williams, who married her manager, Tom Overby, onstage at a gig in 2009, plays a sold-out solo concert at the Ark in Ann Arbor on Wednesday.
QUESTION: How did you come to work with Don Was on “Blessed”?
ANSWER: I would run into him at various music events but never formally met him until I did the Neil Young MusiCares gala early last year. (MusiCares provides financial and medical assistance to musicians in need.) Neil was being given an artist of the year tribute where different musicians — including myself — were singing his songs, and Don Was was in the house band. We hit it off and started to talk a little bit.
Later on Tom (Overby) and I were talking about who we were going to work with on my new album and he came up with the idea to work with Don as a coproducer. Don jumped at the chance to do it. We had dinner with him and listened to a bunch of his work, and we all agreed we would go in and see what happened. He fit right in and it was a joy to work with him. He made me happy and secure. I haven’t had a chance to work with somebody like Don before, someone who’s worked with the Rolling Stones, somebody who’s had success as both a producer and a musician. He’s so humble and sweet and so cool, but has a vast musical background and knowledge.Q: What made him so special to work with in the studio?
A: He wants to get it right and is not to going to settle for less, and I’m the same way. The album was already mixed and mastered, but Don decided to have Bob Clearmountain remix a couple of tracks. They sounded so good when we got them back that we had Bob remix the whole album, and at Don’s suggestion, we sent it to Ted Jensen to do the mastering. It’s the best-sounding record I’ve ever done.
Q: How did you turn your home demos for “Blessed” into completed songs in the studio?
A: I did things on a device called a Zoom, which is about the size of a remote control device or an iPhone. I’d record into it and hook it up into a computer and burn the songs onto a CD for the band members. Everything was done pretty organically; the guys were all set up in a separate room, and I was in a separate vocal booth where I could see everyone. For the most part, it’s a live kind of a thing. I start playing and singing and the guys fall in and sometimes it’ll get in the groove right away and we get it after three run-throughs; some songs might take a little more effort. Don said going in that he wanted this album to be about Lucinda’s vocals. I wanted his approval, and it was good to work with someone who you knew was going to be honest.
Q: Two of the most powerful songs on “Blessed” deal with mortality. There’s “Copenhagen,” about the death of your manager Frank Callari, and “Seeing Black,” about the death of musician Vic Chesnutt.
A: I was in a writing mode, so my head was in that place where I was writing every day for a few weeks and I was just ready. I didn’t know Vic real well, but he was one of us; we’d done a few shows together, did a show together in Athens, and he wrote a song called “Lucinda Williams.” I thought he was really good and I admired him for waging the battle, with him sitting in a wheelchair onstage and being such a feisty guy.
Frank Callari was a beautiful mess, bless his heart; we weren’t totally surprised (by his death), but you’re never prepared. I’ve explored those themes before, like on the song “Sweet Old World,” so I was not quite as dramatic (lyrically). Now that I’m getting older, I’m braver and more confident about pushing the envelope a little bit.
I’ve always strived when I’m writing about someone — no matter what the issue is — to come from a place of compassion for the most part. The track “Lake Charles” (from the album “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road”) is about a guy who didn’t kill himself on purpose but was self-destructive — a mess, a beautiful mess.
Q: Balancing out the heavier, sadder songs on “Blessed” are some of the most tender, beautiful love songs you’re ever written: “Kiss Like Your Kiss” and “Sweet Love.” Married life is agreeing with you quite nicely.
A: The love songs, I wrote for Tom, and those were a surprise for me. They just tumbled out and I don’t know if I’ve ever done that before. A lot of things are happening for me late in life, like finding the person I want to be with in life, writing love songs to my husband.
Needless to say, I was over-the-top thrilled when I realized I was involved with somebody and was also more productive as a songwriter than ever. I wouldn’t stay with Tom if couldn’t stay writing. I’ve been in relationships where I shut down creatively because I was with the wrong person; that’s the kiss of death for me. I have to be able to write. I ended up with enough songs for two albums with this one.
Thanks.. I wasn’t sure.It was the $3.40 processing fee added on AFTER committing to buy that was/is shady..SamishSeaMike
I agree! Weasels.
by TOverby on Wed Feb 23, 2011 7:43 pm
The lyric that he wonders about is mist.
It’s brilliant, though, because either word fits. Do we have any English professors out there who can tell us if there is a name for this ingenious poetic device? đ
TOverby on Wed Feb 23, 2011 7:09 pm
Mike–Just curious –how much was the mailing fee?
I did the Citi card pre-sale – costs broken down as follows:
TypeLive Nation Presale
Ticket PriceUS $33.50 x 1
Facility ChargeUS $1.50 x 1
Convenience ChargeUS $8.75 x 1
Order Processing FeeUS $3.40Total – $47.15
Standard mail and print-at-home were both at no additional charge, so Mike it looks like the App was “free”. Ay caramba!
bigsubi on Wed Feb 23, 2011 12:47 pm
…all our support from overseas, in my case from Barcelona…if there is no problem we’ll see you in New York on this tour…Rock On!!!…
bigsubi!! Blake joins the tour on April 29th, so I don’t think he’ll be at the New York show. But I will be, and I look forward to seeing you again. đ
http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/musicandnightlife/116703089.html
Lucinda Williams to play at Turner Hall
Lucinda Williams and her acoustic guitar will take the stage Wednesday at Turner Hall.
e-mail print By Jon M. Gilbertson, Special to the Journal Sentinel
Feb. 22, 2011 8:08 p.m. |(0) CommentsLucinda Williams has long been a queen of songs about the affairs of the heart, particularly the broken and spurned kind.
Her new album, “Blessed,” is less obsessed over those affairs and moves her talents out into the rest of the world – a widening she attributes, at least in part, to her marriage to Tom Overby, also her manager, in 2009.
“I’ve found a soul mate,” Williams said during a phone interview. “When I was younger and single, a lot was more about me and what I was going through, and that would pretty much dominate things. Now, it’s liberating as a writer: I’ve been there and done that. That has opened up a big window to broaden everything.”
Her heart isn’t entirely settled: “Blessed” opens with “Buttercup,” another barroom-ready kiss-off to another bad lover.
“There was a little bit left in my system,” Williams said.
But then there is “Copenhagen,” which paints that European city in the colors of personal loss, and “Soldier’s Song,” a 6-minute war story that Williams had been reaching toward for some time.
“It was an idea I had awhile back, but sometimes the songs just come out when they’re meant to,” she said. “I’ll have a song brewing for years until it’s just time for it to be born. It’s sort of an anti-war song, but people’s perspectives are a lot different now from what they were when we were in Vietnam.”
And, of course, the perspective Williams brings to her songwriting is not the same now as it was in 1998, when her album “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road” introduced her passionate songwriting and twang-curled voice to a larger audience. Every album since then has been the musical equivalent of a marker along a dusty highway.
“I don’t think in terms of a concept of a whole album,” she said. “It’s just whatever comes out, wherever I am at that stage in my life. Where I am now, at 58, is going to be a lot different from where I was at 48, 38 or 28.”
Being older and better-known has naturally given her opportunities. For example, she was invited to a Neil Young tribute concert to sing one of Young’s songs with Emmylou Harris and Patty Griffin. One of the other musicians there was Don Was, and the way he and Williams got along made her husband float the idea of bringing Was in to work on “Blessed.” He ended up coproducing the album.
“He was brilliant to work with,” Williams said. “He was very democratic, and his suggestions just turned the production quality into a huge difference. For me, this is the best-sounding record I’ve ever made.”
Still, Williams has never been uncomfortable with getting rawer and more intimate, which is one reason her current tour is just her and her acoustic guitar. She was moved to try this when she was visiting her parents in Arkansas and a local venue asked her if she’d like to come down and play one night.
“One night turned into two nights, and I could’ve done three nights,” Williams said. “It ended up being a real positive experience, so I thought it would be fun to book the smaller venues this time.
“I haven’t played just by myself in a long time. This’ll be a whole different thing.”
IF YOU GO
Who: Lucinda Williams (solo acoustic) with Dylan LeBlancWhen: 8 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Turner Hall Ballroom, 1032 N. 4th St.
How much: $35 at (414) 286-3663 and http://www.pabsttheater.org
Another great show, and another great set list. A mistake by a decade on the timing of CWOAGR, but I still catch myself putting 19_ _ on my checks sometime…. đ
http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/blogs/116666984.html
Lucinda Williams changes it up on Night 2
Posted by Chris RiemenschneiderLast update: February 22, 2011 – 11:58 AM
By Jules Ameel / Special to Star Tribune
Aside from the acoustic format, the terrific encore with Randy Weeks and the horrible weather (âIâm humbled you all came out to see me when itâs like this,â she said), the second of Lucinda Williamsâ three nights at the Dakota proved to be significantly different from the first. She mixed up her set list as earnestly as the Dakota bartenders mixing martinis. And it sounded like she was better settled into the intimate room on Monday.It really was an intoxicating affair, one that harked back to a five-night stand I caught by the singer in 2006 at the Electric Lounge in Austin, Texas, where she had us sit on the floor as she âgreased the wheelsâ of some of her songs that would make up her âCar Wheels on a Gravel Roadâ album. Of course, that disc would take another two-plus years to complete, whereas her new one âBlessedâ is for sure coming out next Tuesday. But I do believe âBlessedâ is up to the same level of greatness as âCar Wheels,â as evidenced by the passionate and poetic new material heard on Monday (and she actually didnât play several of the best songs on the album).
Among the highlights were “The Ugly Truth,” which she rightfully described as “the other side of the coin” from the joyful “Plan to Marry,” plus the evocative title track to “Blessed” and the absolutely chilling “Copenhagen,” which she wrote about the sudden death of her manager Frank Callari. The montage of older city/highway songs near the start of the set flowed together like a beautiful road trip, too, especially “Ventura” — although Lucinda admited afterward that the lines about puking “really aren’t appropriate for the dinner crowd.” Here’s the whole set list.
Are You Alright / Ventura / Big Red Sun / Jackson / Crescent City / Bus to Baton Rouge / Born to Be Loved / Copenhagen / Over Time / Make the World Go Away (Hank Cochran cover) / Sweet Love / Plan to Marry / Ugly Truth / Concrete & Barbed Wire / I Lost It / Buttercup / Blessed / Honey Bee ENCORE: Minneapolis / Can’t Let Go (when Randy Weeks joined in on electric guitar) / Changed the Locks / Joy
