Lucinda Williams - Little Honey
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Free Music Notes for Little Honey
Free Music Review: A notable (but somewhat forced) effort by Lucinda
Hit: 4 Stars
"Little Honey" is a very good, not great, album. It's solid. But it's certainly not among Lucinda Williams' finest work. While it is a vast improvement over last year's lackluster "West," it has a few problems of its own.
Williams is, essentially, an alternative singer/songwriter who blends country, rock and blues into a rather unique, earthly sound. And her records are strongest when they employ elements from each style. So what to make of an out-and-out rock song like "Real Love"? Well, it's not all that great. In this album opener, Williams' songwriting and vocal delivery sound oddly forced -- like she's trying to "Joan Jett" it up -- a real disappointment for an artist who is known for the authenticity her music exudes. The laughable "Honey Bee" delivers more of the same, only with less of a hook. Only the albums closer "It's A Long Way To The Top" delivers a strong, convincing rock track.
Luckily, the rock numbers are few. But Williams even missteps on the country-blues song "Jailhouse Tears," which is possibly the worst composition she has released since 1980. It's laughable, and to make matters worse, Williams duets with Elvis Costello, who sounds like a bad '80s leftover on the track. (Is he singing through his sinuses?) To top it off, the song is obnoxious and, again, terribly forced. If this song had to be included, why not push it to the end of the album where it would have been avoidably offensive? Oh, and "Little Rock Star" is Williams at her preachiest, and it demands to be skipped. Boo! Hiss!
Happily, the remainder of the album showcases Williams doing what she does best: roots rock disguised as soulful country. The impeccable ballad "If Wishes Were Horses" reminds us why we fell in love with Williams in the first place, as does the equally gorgeous "Knowing," a haunting meditation on finally being let into "the love club".
Now, about Lucinda Williams' voice.
For years, I have described her vocals as "warm honey and razor blades," and her voice has never sounded more thread-bare -- or lovelier -- than it does on this album right here. Williams bellows the opening line of "... Horses" with sheer heartbreak, as she almost sniffles her way through the words, "When I turned on you and said those things, I didn't mean 'em". The ballads here are the strength of the album, and they aren't snoozers like the ones on "West".
All in all, this is a worthy (if imperfect) album from Williams. While it does not register among her best, it's worth adding to a collection. A few tracks will become favorites, for certain.
(Note: Amazon should update its rating system to include half stars, because this album is a 3-1/2-star collection, but I bumped it up to a 4 because it doesn't deserve a 3.)
Free Music Review: Really inspired.
Hit: 4 Stars
Lucinda's ninth album contrasts with the downbeat nature of "West" in being a generally a more upbeat collection; it comes as a bit of a surprise to learn that most of its songs were originally written for "West" (though "Circles And Xs" dates back to 1985 and "Well Well Well" to the Sweet Old World days of 1992).
"Little Honey", however, stretches Lucinda's already eclectic musical envelope even further beyond the approved boundaries of country and Americana.
She's retained West's engineer Eric Liljestrand as co-producer (with Tom Overby) for Little Honey, and there's real high-octane chemistry in the support crew, which mostly comprises her latest crack road band (now collectively known as Buick 6), including among its ranks guitarists Chet Lyster and Doug Pettibone, bassist David Sutton and drummer Butch Norton; additionally, keyboardist Rob Burger (who'd played on the "West" sessions) returns to gently fill out the textures some more.
In the 30 years since her first album, Lucinda Williams has become known as one of the most expressive, emotive singers around, her country-blues voice cracked through with heartbreak. She's still crying, but this time it's tears of joy over her marriage to manager Tom Overby. Yet this is no saccharine outpouring: "Honey Bee" is a stomping, fearsome ode to her lover, while gorgeous lament "If Wishes Were Horses" recalls earlier pains.
"Little Honey" is a very physical album, though it still keenly (and sensually) expresses that quality of introspective spiritual heartache that has made Lucinda one of country music's most enduring songwriters of our time.
It kicks off with the rock power of "Real Love". That's followed by "Circles and Xs": It's classic country blues as is the next track "Tears Of Joy", a soulful groove, a gorgeous stately stroll.
Williams is also a great lyricist and on "Little Rock Star", she offers a stark warning on the wasting of talent.
Warm fuzzy horns and distant guitars gently wash over the eight-minute sprawl of "Rarity", a prolonged low-key assault on the senses, leading into "Plan To Marry", a Joan Baez-tinged reflection on love's vagaries.
Having lulled us into the mood of these melancholy musings, Lucinda then lurches off down a rockier road with a swaying and strutting take on AC/DC's "It's A Long Way To The Top".
Strangely less so is the duet with the ubiquitous Elvis Costello.
The song "Jailhouse Tears" - two quirky voices in perfect symmetry -
is perhaps just too campy and obvious.
Highlights :"If Wishes Were Horses", "Tears of Joy" and "It's A Long Way To The Top".
Free Music Review: As good as Car Wheels? Might be...
Hit: 4 Stars
Some really nice tracks on this albumn -- and a cool mix of styles that really show off Lucinda's wide ranging abilities. From pop rockers like "Real Love" to bluesy numbers like "Tears of Joy," to electrified hill country moans like "Circles and X's" -- and that's the first three tracks! Lots of good instrumentation to go with Lucinda's usual wonderful song writing. If you don't know her, she tends to write "story" songs vs just hooks. That said, this album probably has more hooks than a lot of her earlier work. The result of that -- and its wide ranging styles -- makes this is probably one of her most approachable albums in that you don't have to be an "alt country" fan to like it. She does a lot of different styles as noted above and does them well. Its a very easy to listen to albumn for sure. "Jailhouse Tears" is a fun tune -- although suffers from Elvis Costello's overly distinctive voice not really being believable in the story line (her lead guitarist sings Elvis' part on the tour to much better effect). Heaven Blues reminds me of "You Gotta Move" by the Stones. Little Rock Star is at least her third visitation of the theme of the destructive effects of playing and touring in rock n roll -- while a bit redundant (and not as good as the earlier Drunken Angel), still a good tune. Honey Bee is a Pretenders-esque hard rocker that has a lot of none-to-subtle sexual inuendos. And "If Wishes were horses" is not a cover of the Jon Butcher tune of same name (thankfully!) but the kind of mildly longly sad tune the Counting Crows might come up with. Anyway -- you get the picture, lots of stuff beyond her typical alt country tunes (which are still present lest classic lucinda fans worry!).Free Music Review: Honey, Do.
Hit: 4 Stars
Imagine if Lucinda Williams' Car Wheels on a Gravel Road had been backed into a garage. That is what you'll find on her 10th album, "Little Honey." She takes the dark moodiness of "West" and chucks it aside for a stack of amps while allowing her band (Buick 8) a chance to let the fur fly. The result, from the loud and simplistic "Real Love" to the dry as a bone remake of Ac/Dc's "It's a Long Way To The Top" makes this Williams' best in many a moon.
That is not to say she has left her alt-country world behind. There's a great duet with Elvis Costello on "Jailhouse Tears" and the beautiful "Circles and Oh's." (Williams was part of Costello's Delivery Man team.) There's an 8 minute centerpiece called "Rarity" that echoes everything great about Williams' long career as a confessional singer-songwriter, her rough-hewn voice hitting the perfect spot throughout. It's just that while "Little Honey" remains a roots-rocking album, this time it's less about the roots and more about the rocking. Fans still clutching their 20 year old copies of Lucinda Williams might be put off by this, but it just makes this "Honey" all the sweeter to these ears.
Free Music Review: Classic Lucinda
Hit: 4 Stars
I recently saw Lucinda Williams perform in Seattle, and she did not disappoint. I managed to get the album a week before she played here, and I played it regularly, so when she started playing songs from it, I was there and into them. This album, Little Honey, is quite good and it does not disappoint. It really isn't any better than Essence or Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, and perhaps not quite as strong as they are, but it is a very good album. What it has is variety and new songs. Many of the songs are a bit sluggish, which disappointed me somewhat, as I had heard so much about it being a full ahead rocker, but that's okay. The song that really stands out for me is "Little Rock Star." "LRS" is a serious ballad with a build much like Springsteen's "Racing In the Street," and with much the same theme. Vintage Lucinda. "Real Love" has a wonderful false start, then kicks into gear.
"Honey Bee" is a fine, house rocking, full throated shouting extravaganza. How many times can a song be written with the title "Honey Bee"? I don't know, but I'm glad she managed at least one more. Much more country on this album than in West, but with some fancy rock guitar licks. "If Wishes Were Horses," "Jailhouse Tears," and "Plan To Marry" are all very good country rock tunes with a band that just smokes. This is an album to own. Long Live Lucinda!