This could be the one which takes her to another level.....
AMG review-4 1/2 stars
The title of West reflects the change in Lucinda Williams' life as she moved to Los Angeles. It also reflects what had been left behind. Williams is nothing if not a purely confessional songwriter. She continually walks in the shadowlands to bring out what is both most personal yet universal in her work, to communicate to listeners directly and without compromise. If Essence and World Without Tears took chances and stated different sides of the songwriter and her world, West jumps off the ledge into the sky of freedom, where anything can be said without worry of consequence and where anything can be said in any way she wishes. It's entirely appropriate that West was released on the day before Valentine's Day 2007, for it's a record about the heart, about its volumes of brokenness, about its acceptance of its state, and how, with the scars still visible to the bearer, it opens wider and becomes the font of love itself. But the journey is a dark one. First there's the music and the production. Williams chose Hal Willner to produce West. Williams, who'd been writing a lot, demoed some songs before she brought in Willner. He stripped down the demos but kept the scratch vocals. From there, the pair created the rest of the album together, never re-recording Williams' initial vocals. The vocals were accompanied by her guitar playing; Willner wanted her inherent phrasing and rhythmic flow. Willner also brought his own crew to play with Williams. This collaboration — as unlikely as it might seem on the surface — results in something utterly different and yet unmistakably Lucinda Williams. West is a warm, inviting, yet very dark record about grief, the loss of love, anger at a lover who cannot deliver, and embracing the possibility of change. In other words, it's not without its redemptive moments. Williams has put all of her qualities on display at once with an unbridled and unbowed sense of adventure here on her eighth album. She, her bandmates, and Willner have come up with exactly what pop music needs: a real work of art based in contemporary forms and feelings. West is Lucinda Williams' magnum opus thus far, an album that will no doubt attract more than a few new fans, and will give old ones, if they are open enough, a recording to relish. West is flawless; it is actually destined to become a classic.
http://www.lucindawilliams.com/
11th February 2007 08:48 AM
fireontheplatter
lucinda is awesome
that double live cd from the filmore they came out with a couple years back is really good..
essence and changed the locks are killers
she is scheduled to play in albany ny in mid late march.
i have a dvd call..live from austin texas...sometimes i listen to it
i look forward to her new release
everybody say oww
11th February 2007 08:54 AM
fireontheplatter
thanks for posting her website
this is sure to be one awesome tour......
do you think if i wore my fractal tye dyed tounge stones shirt to her concert i would be out line?
everybody say owwwwwwww
11th February 2007 10:18 AM
Gazza
Nah - they even let me in with a 'Rocks Off' t-shirt when I saw her 3 months ago..LOL
It obviously didnt scare her off, as you can see
The new songs have grown on me, although she did leave off some of the better ones that she's played in concert over the last 18 months. It'll be a near impossible task to top 'Car wheels on a gravel road', but from what I've heard of the finished songs, it's a fine record.
Go see her if she's playing near you. Her show in Manchester in November was one of the best gigs I've ever been to.
11th February 2007 10:29 AM
PartyDoll MEG
Gazza....probably had something to do with the "kiss"?!!!
She is great..but closest she is coming to me is Detroit..Damn, what is wrong with CowTown?!!!
11th February 2007 10:47 AM
gimmekeef
quote:Gazza wrote:
Nah - they even let me in with a 'Rocks Off' t-shirt when I saw her 3 months ago..LOL
It obviously didnt scare her off, as you can see
The new songs have grown on me, although she did leave off some of the better ones that she's played in concert over the last 18 months. It'll be a near impossible task to top 'Car wheels on a gravel road', but from what I've heard of the finished songs, it's a fine record.
Go see her if she's playing near you. Her show in Manchester in November was one of the best gigs I've ever been to.
Thanks for turning me on to her great music..a real treat...Hey btw...in that photo...wheres your other hand?..lol
11th February 2007 11:09 AM
Gazza
quote:gimmekeef wrote:
Thanks for turning me on to her great music..a real treat...Hey btw...in that photo...wheres your other hand?..
"between two pillows"
"THOSE aren't pillows....!"
11th February 2007 11:12 AM
sirmoonie
Very cool, Gazza.
Lucinda Williams is incredible.
11th February 2007 11:26 AM
gimmekeef
quote:Gazza wrote:
"between two pillows"
"THOSE aren't pillows....!"
What about those Bears?...lmao
11th February 2007 01:26 PM
mark
If Wilner brought in his "own crew" to serve as her band, does this mean her previous guitarist Doug Pettibone is not on the reord? That guy gets the killer tone.
11th February 2007 02:00 PM
Bloozehound
Nice pic Gazza, you're always hangin with the celebs
we're going to see Lucinda at Stubbs next month, never seen her before, looking forward to it
11th February 2007 02:04 PM
Gazza
quote:mark wrote:
If Wilner brought in his "own crew" to serve as her band, does this mean her previous guitarist Doug Pettibone is not on the reord? That guy gets the killer tone.
Pettibone is still in the band. I presume he's on the record too.
She has a new rhythm section on her live shows, though
11th February 2007 04:03 PM
GotToRollMe
quote:Gazza wrote:
Nah - they even let me in with a 'Rocks Off' t-shirt when I saw her 3 months ago..LOL
It obviously didnt scare her off, as you can see
Gazza's got the kevorka!
And I agree with GimmeKeef...thanks for turning me on to Lucinda's music, Gazz.
11th February 2007 04:23 PM
Left Shoe Shuffle
quote:mark wrote:
If Wilner brought in his "own crew" to serve as her band, does this mean her previous guitarist Doug Pettibone is not on the reord? That guy gets the killer tone.
Agree about Pettibone. Love his tone.
And he is on the record.
Nicked the credits from bn.com:
Lucinda Williams - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Jim Keltner - Percussion, Drums
Gia Ciambotti - Background Vocals
Bill Frisell - Acoustic Guitar
Tony Garnier - Electric Bass, Double Bass
Gary Louris - Background Vocals
Hal Willner - Turntables, Sampling
Doug Pettibone - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Guitar (Baritone)
Rob Burger - Organ, Piano, Accordion, Hammond Organ, Electric Piano, Wurlitzer, Vox Organ, Prepared Piano
Timothy Loo - Cello
Jenny Scheinman - Violin
Rob Brophy - Viola
BTW, Best Buy has the CD for $9.99 - with two "exclusive" bonus tracks.
11th February 2007 04:29 PM
fireontheplatter
is there anywhere online i can hear a tune or 2 for free.
when mark knoffler did his all the road running he had 3 songs one could listen to for free.
it would give me something to do on this lazy sunday afternoon
everybody say ow
11th February 2007 04:41 PM
Highwire Rob
What a pic Gazza! I see you are wearing your Rocks Off shirt under the coat.
Pittsburgh treated us to a free concert from Lucinda w/ Kasey Chambers opening for the city's summer Arts Festival in 2001.
Superb! She is such a perfectionist about her music (obviously this is evident in the gaps between album releases). She only went less than a minute into the first song of that Pittsburgh outdoor show when she abruptly stopped her band. She apologized sincerely to the audience explaining the sound just wasn't right. Then after a quick confab with her musicians & crew she relaunched and proceeded to give us one hell of a performance!
11th February 2007 04:42 PM
PartyDoll MEG
quote:fireontheplatter wrote:
is there anywhere online i can hear a tune or 2 for free.
when mark knoffler did his all the road running he had 3 songs one could listen to for free.
it would give me something to do on this lazy sunday afternoon
quote:fireontheplatter wrote:
is there anywhere online i can hear a tune or 2 for free.
Check out the Lost Highway page for West.
You can hear all of 'em.
11th February 2007 04:50 PM
fireontheplatter
quote:Left Shoe Shuffle wrote:
Check out the Lost Highway page for West.
You can hear all of 'em.
i owe you a beer....busch ice ok.....5.9%
11th February 2007 04:51 PM
PartyDoll MEG
here is one of the new songs
11th February 2007 05:23 PM
fireontheplatter
typical lucinda..always sounds like she got the shit end of the stick..she does it better than any other girl singer tho.
i think she needs a steady boyfriend to balance her life out....
great great music there...but i heard nothing that resembles essence or changed the locks...
oh well..i guess i'll keep living in the past
everybody say owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
11th February 2007 05:42 PM
Gazza
quote:fireontheplatter wrote:
typical lucinda..always sounds like she got the shit end of the stick..she does it better than any other girl singer tho.
i think she needs a steady boyfriend to balance her life out....
She's just recently got engaged.
11th February 2007 05:51 PM
fireontheplatter
quote:Gazza wrote:
She's just recently got engaged.
well i hope this is going to cheer her pretty ass up...i'm running out of kleenex.
11th February 2007 06:44 PM
Gazza
There's more than one way of interpreting that last statement, I hope you realise.......
11th February 2007 07:25 PM
glencar
I can't believe I'm going to miss her!
11th February 2007 07:31 PM
Gazza
Here's Lu's performance on BBC's "Later With jools Holland" show, taped in London the day after the show I saw in manchester and broadcast a couple of weeks later
Come On (new song)
A better quality copy is here (Embedding is disabled upon the request of the uploader it seems, so I just posted the link)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2nWdCdo6Jc
Real Live, Bleeding Fingers
Overtime
12th February 2007 02:50 PM
gypsy
quote:Gazza wrote:
Nah - they even let me in with a 'Rocks Off' t-shirt when I saw her 3 months ago..LOL
It obviously didnt scare her off, as you can see
The new songs have grown on me, although she did leave off some of the better ones that she's played in concert over the last 18 months. It'll be a near impossible task to top 'Car wheels on a gravel road', but from what I've heard of the finished songs, it's a fine record.
Go see her if she's playing near you. Her show in Manchester in November was one of the best gigs I've ever been to.
Muhammad Ali AND Lucinda Williams?
YOU are awesome!
13th February 2007 07:53 AM
Gazza
Lucinda steering beyond `Car Wheels'
DAVID BAUDER
Associated Press
NEW YORK - The album "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" is the work that introduced Lucinda Williams to most of her fans. It won a Grammy. Rolling Stone and Spin called it one of the top discs of the 1990s. It has sold twice as much as anything else she's done.
An undeniable career highlight, it's been a straitjacket for its creator, too.
"Ever since `Car Wheels' I've been struggling with where do I go now? What do I do?" she told The Associated Press. "I was defined by `Car Wheels' and everything I've done since gets compared to `Car Wheels.'"
"West," released Tuesday and her third collection of new music since that 1998 landmark, may be the disc to set her free. Produced by Hal Willner, it's a sonic departure with tight writing and experimental song structure. Williams' weathered voice and depressing subject matter sound familiar, but it's miles away from the gravel road.
Frozen by the pressure of following up her signature disc, Williams went nearly five years without writing a thing. She kept touring, playing the same songs over and over.
Like so many other songwriters, she took a specific inspiration from Bob Dylan - in this case his late-career resurgence started by the 1997 "Time Out of Mind" album. Williams, 54, saw it as Dylan moving forward and not worrying about topping classics like "Blood on the Tracks" or feeling he had to write in the same way.
"I felt like I was going through a similar kind of thing at the time," she said. "I just gave myself permission to kind of simplify my writing a little bit and not feel like every song had to be `Drunken Angel' or `Car Wheels on a Gravel Road' or `Lake Charles.' It took a long time to write those songs. I had to practice letting go."
For an artist with a reputation for skating the line between perfectionism and paralysis - one sensitive enough to precisely quote from years-old negative reviews - that did take some work.
Her 2001 composition "Lonely Girls," a succinct song built around repetition of the title phrase, was another key moment for Williams.
"I thought, `Can I do this? Can I get away with this and put it on a record? What are people going to think?'" she said. "It did draw some mixed reviews. It took a while. That's what's happening with my stuff. At first people are not quite sure."
That may be the case with "West," a smoldering disc that moves at a slow pace, with only two full-out blues rockers. Willner's background is more avant garde than alt country, with Lou Reed, Bill Frisell and tribute albums to Charles Mingus and Thelonius Monk on his production resume.
Willner surrounds her songs with new flavors. Strings and an organ often swirl beneath Williams' voice and guitar, all anchored by Jim Keltner's apocalyptic drumming.
The rocker "Come On," a blistering put-down of an ex-lover's sexual inadequacies, has already been alternately described by critics as hilarious or juvenile.
The songs' inventiveness and sturdy character on the new album unfold during repeated listenings. Several steer clear of traditional structures. "Mama You Sweet" opens with the repetition, four times, of the line "I love you mama you sweet," moves to lyrics detailing the psychic toll of pain, then ends with the same phrase, again, repeated four times.
"Wrap my Head Around That," essentially a nine-minute rap, is another new song some fans might find jarring.
"I've always had an eclectic approach to things, but it took a while to getting around to making it happen," she said. "I'm just more serious now. I'm more confident as a writer. I'm not afraid to leap over into different styles."
The album's themes are dominated by the death in 2004 of Williams' mother, and the dissolution of yet another ill-advised relationship. On her best new song, "Are You Alright," it's easy to imagine Williams putting that question either to her mom or an ex-lover. It was actually neither: she was addressing a brother who has become estranged from the family since their mother's death.
Williams' father, poet Miller Williams, gets the bulk of attention when her family is brought up. While she inherited his literary sense, her piano-playing mother instilled a love for music.
"Genetically, I guess I got my musical talent from her," she said.
The album's title and optimistic last song is a reflection of Williams' mood since moving to the Los Angeles area from Nashville. Although most of the songs on "West" tread deep and disturbing topics, she's actually quite happy now. She's engaged to a man, Tom Overby, who works in the business side of the music industry, meeting him after all the songs on this album had been written. She had recorded them with her band but was interested in finding a new producer. Overby encouraged her to work with Willner.
Most of the producers she had worked with previously were musicians first, people like Steve Earle and Charlie Sexton. She felt comfortable with that shared language, even turning down an overture a few years ago from Rick Rubin, who won a Grammy Sunday for producer of the year and is known for his sympathetic handling of Johnny Cash.
Willner stripped off everything from Williams' original recordings except her voice and guitar, and they built from there.
"I'm not sure if it was the right move on my part, but I'd always shied aways from working with a quote-unquote producer for fear that I might be over-produced or whatever," she said. "Now that I've gone in and worked with Hal Willner, the difference is remarkable. I was listening to this record and saying, `Why didn't we do this before?'"
She feels that "it's absolutely the best album, sonically, I've ever made."
Confident and happy with her work, Williams did run into one unexpected hurdle. Her former company released a deluxe version of "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" late last year packed with extra tracks.
"Rolling Stone gave it five stars and I thought, `Oh, great, now I'm going to be competing with myself,'" she said. (The same magazine gave "West" four stars). "What are you going to do? You can't please all the people all the time."
Singer-songwriter's 'West' reflects her mother's death and the end of a stormy romantic relationship
February 11, 2007
BY MARTIN BANDYKE
FREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER
Easily one of the most formidable roots rockers to emerge since the late '70s, Lucinda Williams is the much-deserved object of passionate adoration from her fervent audience.
The 54-year old has happily gotten past her perfectionist tendencies, which resulted at times in agonizingly long waits between albums. "West" is the fifth release in the last decade from the blues- and folk-based vocalist, songwriter and guitarist, prolific by her standards. Best of all, this exquisite work sounds like her finest since 1998's "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road," acknowledged by most as her high water mark.
Williams lost her mother and ended a volatile relationship during the course of this recording, and all that pain and emotion is spilled across every track. Her grainy voice is filled with ache and heartbreak but also achieves magnificent, clear-eyed catharsis that is often nothing short of revelatory. Of course, it doesn't hurt that "West" features the best group of musicians she has ever worked with, including the incomparable guitarists Bill Frisell and Doug Pettibone; keyboardist Rob Burger; and the killer rhythm section of Tony Garnier, longtime Bob Dylan bassist, and Jim Keltner, king of session drummers.
This most assured collection of songs opens with a gentle lament ("Are You Alright") and then goes straight for the emotional jugular with "Mama You Sweet," which is filled with riveting, poetic images ("With this ocean in my spirit / And cracks on my lips / And scars in heart / And this burden on my hips"). Williams paints some desolate personal landscapes on "Where Is My Love?" and "Rescue" and also uses that romantic breakup to fire the rage she unleashes on "Wrap My Head Around That" and "Come On."
In a counterintuitive way, it's kind of thrilling to hear how the top-notch crew of backup musicians never tries to upstage her. The players substitute subtlety for flash on every occasion. Why draw needless attention away from Williams when her poetic muse is in complete overdrive? Just take the dazzling song "Words," which could easily be mistaken for something written by either Dylan or Walt Whitman. "Unsuffer Me" is even more spine-tingling, as Williams pleads for someone to "undo my logic, undo my fear" in a raw voice that drips with desire and desperation.
Lovingly coproduced by Hal Willner, who's helmed numerous, eclectic concept albums paying tribute to everyone from Thelonious Monk to Kurt Weill, "West" is a profoundly moving statement from this essential musician, who once again turns the joys and pains of living and dying into timeless art.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070211/ENT04/702110548/1035
[Edited by Gazza]
14th February 2007 11:52 AM
Saint Sway
picked it up this morning. Enjoying it right now. She rules.
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