[.ca] Lucinda Williams - the Classic

From Amazon.co.uk:
Because this 1988 album produced hits for others ("Passionate Kisses" for Mary-Chapin Carpenter, "The Night's Too Long" for Patty Loveless), Williams is best known as a songwriter. She certainly deserves the rep: her "Side Of The Road", for example, expresses the tension between loving another and remaining yourself better than any song ever written. But what makes this album so special is her voice. When she sings about wanting to visit "Crescent City", she packs more sheer longing into her delivery than even the greatest of songs could express. And, bonus, Lucinda Williams is chock full of great songs. --David Cantwell

Amazon.com essential recording:
Because this 1988 album produced hits for others ("Passionate Kisses" for Mary Chapin Carpenter, "The Night's Too Long" for Patty Loveless), Williams is best known as a songwriter. She certainly deserves the rep: her "Side of the Road," for example, expresses the tension between loving another and remaining yourself better than any song ever written. But what makes this album so special is her voice. When she sings about wanting to visit "Crescent City," she packs more sheer longing into her delivery than even the greatest of songs could express. And, bonus, Lucinda Williams is chock full of great songs. --David Cantwell

Essential - but only if you like Lucinda!:
Unlike most of the gushing reviewers, although I've been a fan of Lucinda's for a decade or so, I feel ambivalent about a lot of her music. I discovered her on an Austin City Limits episode about the time "Sweet Old World" came out, and my first reaction was to laugh out loud. I don't care how many "not helpfuls" you give the reviews that say she can't sing, or how many reviews say she has an amazing voice: I honestly thought I'd tuned into a Saturday Night Live sketch and that her performance was a joke. That voice seemed so awful to me at first. Same for lyrics that seemed repetitive and without substance. The utter lack of charisma may have been what sent me over the edge - she may have more stage presence these days, but on television back then she put the "dead" in deadpan. When I saw her perform live in the mid-90's (I really do love her, honest!), she was still underwhelming in terms of stage presence except when she got into old blues songs on a long version of "Hot Blood". So I think it's only fair to warn a newcomer that this may be a voice they love to hate. I love Patti Smith and Bob Dylan and Neil Young and PJ Harvey, but let's face it - they grate on a lot of people's nerves, and Lucinda's voice does the same. Heck, I'm a fan, and I own all her CD's, but if I'm not in just the right mood she grates on mine. Thus, I disagree with those who think the cover versions are inferior - I'd often prefer Mary Chapin Carpenter doing "Passionate Kisses". For all I know Lucinda might too. In my youth, I once told Don Schlitz it was too bad some country artist had ruined one of the songs I loved hearing him perform. He looked at me like I was crazy and told me he loved the record. Maybe I didn't like commercial country music , but just because we sometimes think it's best hearing the songwriter's own interpretation doesn't make it true. Often another person interprets a song better and makes it their own. Or at least, in the case of Lucinda covers, sings in what would conventionally be considered a much better voice. Later I saw her on TV again, and she began to grow on me until eventually I came to enjoy a quirky voice and lyrics that are poetic. I wouldn't be here writing about her if I hadn't come around, I'm just saying it's good to have some reviews here that are helpful to non-fans, and to acknowledge her weaknesses as well as her strenghts. The woman can use words; it just took me a while to get used to someone saying so much with so few of them. And when I'm in the mood to enjoy her voice, it's a joy to just sink into such luxurious lyrics. So - that's the stuff for people who don't know Lucinda at all. On to the comparisons. Like others below, I only have the original CD and can't comment on the bonus tracks except to say that "Sweet Old World" truly is a great song and that I wouldn't mind having an extra version. "Sweet Old World" was the first Lucinda CD I ever bought, and my favorite until "Car Wheels". This one was always last on my list, though "Essence" made me think twice. Going back today and listening after spending a good deal of time with "World Without Tears", I realize how great the original "Lucinda Williams" was, though, and how much it foreshadowed her future music. The production isn't as sophisticated as on "Car Wheels" (probably still the best entry point for someone new to her music, as well as the most likely one) or the recordings following it, but the songwriting is so remarkably consistently good. It's funny how things change with time, too. Most of the songs I considered amazing classics seemed less so today, while others I'd glossed over in the past, like the sublime "Side of the Road", stood out. There just isn't a bad song here. What struck me most was how much this recording foreshadowed her future songwriting. The way "I Just Wanted to See You So Bad" expresses so much passion with so few words, no matter how repetitive or how unusual a voice. And the sheer poetry here - if "Side of the Road" stands out in terms of its imagery, it isn't alone in using words better than most songwriters can dream of. I also just noticed the gritty sensuality in "The Night's Too Long" that came back back later on "Car Wheels" with "Right in Time", or "Essence", or "Righteously" on "World Without Tears". This is my long way of being the 58th person to say this is essential classic wonderful Lucinda, but with a grain of salt for those who might not find her voice palatable. This is a shopping site after all, and I'd never tell a friend to buy a Lucinda CD without first making sure her voice didn't drive them up the wall, or that she wasn't too country for them, or that the lyrics seemed as brilliant to them as to me - she really isn't for everyone.

Take me back to Texas:
I moved away from Texas and am staying alive by listening to this, and eating chipotle salsa... Really, though. Lucinda is simply amazing. Her voice is so rich and twangy- always revealing more than the words. Her lyrics are provocative or plaintive or poetic- usually all three. Ah just buy this! You'll be so glad you did.

Lucinda Wm's:
She's Blues,Rock,Folk,Country An All Around Artist Start Here To Begin Your Lucinda Experience

Essential - but only if you like Lucinda!:
Unlike most of the gushing reviewers, although I've been a fan of Lucinda's for a decade or so, I feel ambivalent about a lot of her music. I discovered her on an Austin City Limits episode about the time "Sweet Old World" came out, and my first reaction was to laugh out loud. I don't care how many "not helpfuls" you give the reviews that say she can't sing, or how many reviews say she has an amazing voice: I honestly thought I'd tuned into a Saturday Night Live sketch and that her performance was a joke. That voice seemed so awful to me at first. Same for lyrics that seemed repetitive and without substance. The utter lack of charisma may have been what sent me over the edge - she may have more stage presence these days, but on television back then she put the "dead" in deadpan. When I saw her perform live in the mid-90's (I really do love her, honest!), she was still underwhelming in terms of stage presence except when she got into old blues songs or a long version of "Hot Blood". So I think it's only fair to warn a newcomer that this may be a voice they love to hate. I love Patti Smith and Bob Dylan and Neil Young and PJ Harvey, but let's face it - they grate on a lot of people's nerves, and Lucinda's voice does the same. Heck, I'm a fan, and I own all her CD's, but if I'm not in just the right mood she grates on mine. Thus, I disagree with those who think the cover versions are inferior - I'd often prefer Mary Chapin Carpenter doing "Passionate Kisses". For all I know Lucinda might too. In my youth, I once told Don Schlitz it was too bad some country artist had ruined one of the songs I loved hearing him perform. He looked at me like I was crazy and told me he loved the record. Maybe I didn't like commercial country music, but just because we sometimes think it's best hearing the songwriter's own interpretation doesn't make it true. Often another person interprets a song better and makes it their own. Or at least, in the case of Lucinda covers, sings in what would conventionally be considered a much better voice. Later I saw her on TV again, and she began to grow on me until eventually I came to enjoy a quirky voice and lyrics that are poetic. I wouldn't be here writing about her if I hadn't come around, I'm just saying it's good to have some reviews here that are helpful to non-fans, and to acknowledge her weaknesses as well as her strenghts. The woman can use words; it just took me a while to get used to someone saying so much with so few of them. And when I'm in the mood to enjoy her voice, it's a joy to just sink into such luxurious lyrics. So - that's the stuff for people who don't know Lucinda at all. On to the comparisons. Like others below, I only have the original CD and can't comment on the bonus tracks except to say that "Sweet Old World" truly is a great song and that I wouldn't mind having an extra version. "Sweet Old World" was the first Lucinda CD I ever bought, and my favorite until "Car Wheels". This one was always last on my list, though "Essence" made me think twice. Going back today and listening after spending a good deal of time with "World Without Tears", I realize how great the original "Lucinda Williams" was, though, and how much it foreshadowed her future music. The production isn't as sophisticated as on "Car Wheels" (probably still the best entry point for someone new to her music, as well as the most likely one) or the recordings following it, but the songwriting is so remarkably consistently good. It's funny how things change with time, too. Most of the songs I considered amazing classics seemed less so today, while others I'd glossed over in the past, like the sublime "Side of the Road", stood out. There just isn't a bad song here. What struck me most was how much this recording foreshadowed her future songwriting. The way "I Just Wanted to See You So Bad" expresses so much passion with so few words, no matter how repetitive or how unusual a voice. And the sheer poetry here - if "Side of the Road" stands out in terms of its imagery, it isn't alone in using words better than most songwriters can dream of. I also just noticed the gritty sensuality in "The Night's Too Long" that came back back later on "Car Wheels" with "Right in Time", or "Essence", or "Righteously" on "World Without Tears". This is my longwinded way of being the 58th person to say this is essential classic wonderful Lucinda, but with a grain of salt for those who might not find her voice palatable. This is a shopping site after all, and I'd never tell a friend to buy a Lucinda CD without first making sure her voice didn't drive them up the wall, or that she wasn't too country for them, or that the lyrics seemed as brilliant to them as to me - she really isn't for everyone.

A real treasure:
This is one of my favorite Lucinda Williams albums. Lucinda is a very talented songwriter. I love her voice as she sings her own songs. She also does a a most excellent job on the classic blues songs. Of these my favorite is 'Nothing In Rambling'. I'd buy the CD for this song alone.

• I Just Wanted to See You So Bad
• Night's Too Long
• Abandoned
• Big Red Sun Blues
• Like a Rose
• Changed the Locks
• Passionate Kisses
• Am I Too Blue
• Cresent City
• Side of the Road
• Price to Pay
• I Asked for Water (He Gave Me Gasoline)
• Nothing In Rambling \oLive\c\o*\c
• Disgusted \oLive\c\o*\c
• Side of the Road \oLive\c\o*\c
• Goin' Back Home \oLive\c\o*\c
• Something About What Happens When We Talk \oLive\c\o*\c
• Sundays \oLive\c\o*\c