What is it about Lucinda Williams's music? The phrasing? The pain? The joy? The guitars? I don't know, but I am drawn to this album like I was drawn to Bob Dylan albums as a teenager. This album defies labels. Buy it.
What is it about Lucinda Williams's music? The phrasing? The pain? The joy? The guitars? I don't know, but I am drawn to this album like I was drawn to Bob Dylan albums as a teenager. This album defies labels. Buy it.
Excellent album. Every song is awesome.
Another record I own. A gem. It even sounds great on cd. She was best here with just her name on the cover, without her eye on the grammys. She was even better when the needle fell for the first time and there was no other female voice expressing the longing of love for their soul and the desire to be someone other than a Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline copy.
"Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" is one of the finest albums of the past decade. Each song comes on and makes one think, "oh yeah, I love this one too." The CD fleshes out an area somewhere between folk, rock, and country without succumbing to the trappings of any of those tired styles. The lyrics are as original as the new musical niche that she carves out on this masterpiece of modern music. Her phrasing is reminiscent of Willie Nelson, but her affective intent is more personal, along the lines of Ani DiFranco. I could not take this disc out of the player for weeks, as there are no throw-away songs, and one finds her/himself humming and craving each one. I am not exaggerating when I say that this is easily one of the best 10 popular-music discs of the past decade and should be the very next one that you purchase.
