On Lucinda Williams’ last album, West, we were taken through misery after misery – a boatload of “what ifs” until you started to wonder if she would ever write another happy song. Of course, Williams is known for sad, angry songs, which I don’t have a problem with – it’s just so nice to hear her voice filled with joy on her latest offering, Little Honey.
Lucinda Williams has never been shy about being personal in her music and her latest confessional opus – West – is no exception. Almost a carbon copy of 2001’s Essence in melody and lyrics, West is a notebook of slow moving hymns that run through themes of both losing and finding love.
After a 40-minute set of fire and brimstone Old Testament blues from opener Rob Jungklas and his three-man band, the emcee stepped onstage with a few announcements and the proclamation of Lucinda
Originality is what fuels Patty Griffin and her live performance. What her shows lack in quantity (she only played about 80 minutes), she delivers in quality: each note that comes from her lungs, if not perfect, strives for a uniqueness that no one can attempt to cover. Mostly performing tunes from her 2004 release Impossible Dream, Griffin was productive for every second, even when she talked about how bad the St. Louis Cardinals played in the 2004 World Series.
Benefiting the Alejandro Escovedo Medical and Living Expense Fund, an all-star cast including Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Los Lonely Boys, Cowboy Junkies, Jayhawks, and a reformed SonVolt has come to the rescue to deliver their interpretations of Escovedo
