Lucinda Williams - Stories from a Rock 'n' Roll Heart

  by Nick Dent-Robinson

published: 30 / 8 / 2023

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Review

For years Lucinda Williams has been held in high esteem by many of the greats of rock music. The Louisiana singer, now aged 70, toured regularly with the late Tom Petty and sang on Robert Plant's last record with Alison Krauss in 2021. And on Lucinda's 16th solo album - now released in the UK - she is supported by Bruce Springsteen and his wife Patti Scialfa. Once marketed as a country artist, Lucinda's biker boots, leather jackets and liking for road-hardened rock'n'roll meant that she was never quite accepted by the more conservative of the Nashville establishment – and her niche nowadays is in beautifully crafted Americana. On ‘Stories From A Rock N Roll Heart’ Lucinda tackles blue-collar guitar anthems and achingly soulful ballads with great aplomb. Despite suffering a debilitating stroke three years ago which left her in intensive care for a week and unable to play her beloved Fender Telecaster guitar, Lucinda's performance on the new record is remarkable. Her husband Tom Overby helped her compose tracks for the new album which he co-produced – and Lucinda's touring musician Stuart Mathis with Nashville veteran Travis Stephens stepped in to provide guitar parts. A theme of the album is the healing power of music – which for Lucinda Williams is far more than a vague platitude. Her determination through her darkest days to keep on working gives her new songs a real sense of purpose. There's no self-pity here either – just a life-affirming desire to ensure the show goes on! ‘Let's Get The Band Back Together’ uses the post-pandemic return of live music as a metaphor for the joys of reuniting with old friends. Springsteen's appearances inject some New Jersey power and sunshine. On ‘New York Comeback’ Springsteen and Lucinda trade vocal lines on a song that looks at life through the prism of a theatrical performance. And Springsteen and Scialfa provide joyous backing on the upbeat title track that would have sounded just right if it had been included on The Boss's 1980 album, ‘The River’.. There are some bittersweet moments too. ‘Last Call For The Truth’ with fine work by pedal steel guitarist Doug Pettibone, casts Lucinda as the oldest barfly in town, hankering after “one more taste of my lost youth”. And ‘Stolen Moments’includes a touching elegy to Tom Petty whose sudden death in October 2017 came just a week after Lucinda had played at his final live show at the Hollywood Bowl. There is also a tribute on ‘Hum's Liquor’ to Bob Stinson of Minneapolis punk band The Replacements to whom Lucinda has dedicated the album. In a year when Chrissie Hynde (age 71) and Debbie Harry, age 77, were two of the best performers at Glastonbury, Lucinda Williams – another of rock's elder stateswomen – has delivered a timely reminder with ‘Stories From A Rock N Roll Heart’ of why she is widely acknowledged as one of America's great living songwriters! Lucinda Williams will be starting a UK tour on 29 February 2024 in London's Indigo At The O2. For tickets and more, see www.lucindawilliams.com

Track Listing:-

1 Let's Get The Band Back Together
2 New York Comeback
3 Last Call For The Truth
4 Jukebox
5 Stolen Moments
6 Rock N Roll Heart
7 This Is Not My Town
8 Hum's Liquor
9 Where The Song Will Find Me
10 Never Gonna Fade Away

Band Links:-

http://www.lucindawilliams.com/
https://www.facebook.com/LucindaWillia
https://twitter.com/HappyWoman9
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucinda_

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