March 08, 2007 Music » CD Reviews

West (Lost Highway)
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Lucinda Williams 

West (Lost Highway)

by DARRYL SMYERS

Lucinda Williams

West

After the critical acclaim that was lauded upon Car Wheels on a Gravel Road almost a decade ago, Lucinda Williams appeared to have finally achieved her potential. But meandering, morose releases such as Essence (2001) and World Without Tears (2003) failed to deliver the kind of pop smarts and old-school country passion of her earlier work. West is both a return to Williams’ roots and a series of fascinating detours down musical avenues with little connection to her past. Her voice has never sounded better than on the atmospheric, nearly ambient folk of “Are You Alright?” and few female performers write about lust and regret with the edge Williams gives to the boisterous, nearly atonal rock of “Unsuffer Me” and “Come On.” Featuring guitarist Bill Frisell and harmonies from Gary Louris (Jayhawks), West is a captivating take on Americana, a clear and concise embrace of modern themes that never forgets the emotional truths of the best rural music.

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Yea, couldn't agree with you more... This is Lucinda's best album in my opinion, no getting around it. As a matter of fact I never really could understand how she got signed to "lost highway" prior to this album. Of course the dreaded "Bitch" song... ahhhh!

So, to say the least, I started listening to this album very reluctant to enjoy it... but I couldn't help myself. The album is great! She does a wonderful job of capturing that stripped-down lovable raw country sound that has been so commonly referred to as alt-country these days. She definitely incorporated some pros on this album to help out... and I think its helped her find herself again as well.

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Posted by Wick on 04/27/2007 at 3:21 PM

Yea, couldn't agree with you more... This is Lucinda's best album in my opinion, no getting around it. As a matter of fact I never really could understand how she got signed to "lost highway" prior to this album. Of course the dreaded "Bitch" song... ahhhh! So, to say the least, I started listening to this album very reluctant to enjoy it... but I couldn't help myself. The album is great! She does a wonderful job of capturing that stripped-down lovable raw country sound that has been so commonly referred to as alt-country these days. She definitely incorporated some pros on this album to help out... and I think its helped her find herself again as well.

report   
Posted by Chadwick on 04/27/2007 at 12:21 PM
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