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Reviews of: Little Honeyby Lucinda Williams
Reviews A Little Love Goes A Long Long Way 'Little Honey' finds Ms Williams in a upbeat frame of mind. Word is out that the lady is in love. There are those who might say ( and perhaps I should count myself among them ) "About Time Too !". My dear friend Phil The Ferret has long been a fan. His mission to convert me has until now fallen on deaf ears. Some singer/songwriters have made a good life out of misery - Mr Cohen, Ms Harvey and Mr Young to name but an illustrious three - but Ms Williams' muse has always left me just a bit unconvinced. A little forced; a tad contrived perhaps. That bourbon and nails voice conveying rather more affectation than affect. The twelve new recordings in this collection come, therefore, as a very pleasant surprise. From the grinding opening bars of 'Real Love' to the gritty rock and roll closure of 'It's A Long Way To The Top' our lady really does seem to be having a good time. In between, the wholesomely rugged blues of 'Tears Of Joy'; the warmly emotional delivery of 'If Wishes Were Horses'; the stripped-down economy of 'Heaven Blues' and the sparse aching beauty of 'Plan To Marry' are all entirely convincing. The terrific band serves her well. The production is edgy and vivid. The organ and brass contributions on the album's highpoint 'Knowing' are a particular joy. I'm pleased to have had the chance to change my mind. Highly recommended. 2009-01-02 disappointed I'm a huge fan of Lucinda and after seeing her in tremendous form at the glasgow barrowlands I went out and got my hands on as much stuff of hers as I could. I must admit I'm a bit disappointed with this cd - maybe it will grow on me but there seem to be few powerful songs here. It's almost as though it has been thrown together to meet contractual obligations. 2008-11-03 Sweet Where previously we've had to wait two or three years between Lucinda records, it's only about 18 months since her last one this time. West was somewhat melancholy, reflecting Williams's mood over a broken relationship and the death of her mother. Little Honey is less so, starting off with the upbeat Real Love, and other songs such as Tears Of Joy, a blues which features a nice BB King-like guitar lick, mean that overall this is not West 2. Nevertheless, there are some downbeat moments, and they start on track 2, Circles And X's, and Heaven Blues brings us right back to her mother. And whilst the mom-references on West stood well both in and out of context, this one ends up seeming a little self-absorbed. Overall, however, though I've still not warmed to this collection as I did to West, this is another great album from Williams, combining her normal sharp songwriting, the familiar country-blues fusions, some incredible musicianship, such as Walt Fowler's flugelhorn on Knowing or Doug Pettibone's guitar anywhere, some eye-popping instrumentation (like washing machine, big ass drum and plastic sheet on Heaven Blues!) and excellent arrangements. The one cover, AC/DC's It's A Long Way, is great, could be written just for her, and has some nice backing vocals, reminiscent of those on Stones' Gimme Shelter, with a gospel feel. There's also an interesting point of comparison between the two versions of Jailhouse Tears, where I agree with the other reviewers who say they prefer the original: I love Elvis Costello but he tends towards overacting on this occasion, and the original has a fresher, less overproduced feel, which gives it a little more emotional authenticity. Non-musical high points are the very detailed credits on the sleeve notes, which only fall down on the "bonus" version of Jailhouse Tears, all the lyrics available, and a nice Super Jewel Box to wrap it all in instead of one of those nasty cardboard things. 2008-10-29 Lucinda - an inspiration Reading the other reviews makes me realise what female rockers are up against. How many great female guitar players can you name? How many women can get themselves taken seriously in the alpha male music world? Lucinda is an inspiration, clearly her own person for better or worse. It has taken her decades to get this far and she has resolutely stuck with it. That is the reason I grab her records whenever they come out. They may not be perfect, but what is? Yes, "Car Wheels" was a high water mark (and where most of us came in), but every record since has had at least a few gems; the great "Out of Touch" on "Essence" is a personal favourite. Lucinda has the ability to decribe universal emotions in plain, simple language; a rare gift. Plus her voice is truly special - raw, emotional, weary, vulnerable. She makes most male rockers of her age pale into insignificance. 2008-10-26 (Almost) a return to form Little Honey is not another Car Wheels on a Gravel Road - in my view the last really good record Lucinda Williams made and, in my view again, a really seriously good collection of alt country rock tracks. But this does have some real high points (unlike the last one, West) as well as some real lows. The high points are probably Honey Bee (a typical piece of Lucinda raunch-rock), If Wishes Were Horses, which gets close to her best work of the past, and the early version of Jailhouse Tears - the one without Elvis Costello. The lows - particularly Little Rock Star and It's A Long Way to The Top - are very low indeed and maybe say a good deal about what I think is wrong with her recent work as a whole. The best of her work is based on imaginative observation and empathy with a whole range of characters - even if they draw on her own experience - while everything since Car Wheels on a Gravel Road has tended to sound to me as if it is drifting into the "poor little rock and roll star me" school of song-writing. It's A Long Way to The Top is a perfect example of that tedious and tired genre. This is not a bad record, but by the standard of her best work, neither is it really a very good one. 2008-10-22 |
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