Lucinda Williams
Feb 28, 2011
Most of us are aware of Lucinda Williams' fierce determination to maintain creative control of her music -- so much so that it caused her to migrate to many different labels before finding a home at Lost Highway; to abandon certain projects before finishing them; and to take as much as eight years between releases.
But as she wandered down this winding path, it appears that Williams knew what she was doing. Not only has she been afforded the freedom to forge her own special hybrid style of folk, blues, country and rock, acknowledgement of her immense talent has also grown along the way: Williams has won several Grammys, has been named by various critics as one of the most important songwriters of our times and is regularly named as a major influence by other artists.
But from Lucinda's perspective, she's just doing what she does. Whereas many artists can be lumped into the Americana and roots movement of the past 15 years or so, very few can be regarded as one of the original leaders. Furthermore, with each passing album, Williams somehow manages to push the envelope without ever abandoning what makes her music so special.
Williams' latest effort, "Blessed," continues to see her sound evolve. Produced by Don Was, it is very much a Lucinda Williams album but, at the same time, there are some interesting new textures and tones creeping into her signature sound. The players to help her accomplish this include Greg Leisz, Elvis Costello, Rami Jaffe, Matthew Sweet, Butch Norton, Val McCallum and David Sutton.
Early reaction to the lead track, "Buttercup," has been very positive from Triple A radio. But several other tracks deserve attention: "Don't Know How You're Livin'," "Awakening," "Copenhagen," "Soldier's Song" and the title track.
Williams says the recording of this new album came at the end of a prolific writing streak. "Being married and feeling comfortable in my life, I've been able to go outside myself and write about other things," she said. "I feel like this album, as a whole, is positive, but it's not my so-called 'happy' album. It's just a lot easier to stretch these days."
Williams is just finishing up some solo acoustic dates and then heads out with her band March-May. She has also had guest appearances on several other projects lately including Amos Lee and Over The Rhine's new albums. There is great campaign on her website with folks submitting pictures similar to the ones in her album artwork.
- 3/1 Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Center, Erie, PA
- 3/2 The Ark, Ann Arbor, MI
- 3/4-5 Massey Hall, Toronto,
- 3/7 State Theatre, Ithaca, NY
- 3/8 The Music Hall, Portsmouth, NH
- 3/9 House of Blues, Boston
- 3/11-12 Webster Hall, New York
- 3/14 Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ
- 3/15 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
- 3/16 Orange Peel, Asheville, NC
- 3/21 The Blue Door, Oklahoma City
- 4/29 Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Atlanta
- 5/1 Arkansas Music Pavilion, Fayetteville, AR
- 5/3 Acadiana Center, Lafayette, LA
- 5/5 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
- 5/6 House of Blues, New Orleans
- 5/7 Stubb's, Austin
- 5/8 The Houston International Festival
For more, visit www.lucindawilliams.com.
