Robert's Review of Lucinda Williams at Ritz , 10/26/98

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The crowd was wild for Lucinda Williams and her band at the Ritz. They made the band play their set and then come back for an encore that was almost as long and that doesn't include the second encore that featured three more blues. Wow.

The crowd feasted on the songs and the band, especially the dual guitar work of Kenny Vaughn and John Jackson. There were grown men bowing their arms and heads motioning "I'm not worthy" to Kenny's solos. And they weren't too shy to applaud the rhythm section either. The bands seemed embarrassed at first at the attention but learned to revel in it.

John Jackson looking like a Clapton or Knofler played a very sweet and hot slide along with some mandocello and dobro. Kenny Vaughn looking more like a young Bill Gates played the regular lead guitar parts. These parts from Gurf Morlix's and others work on the albums fit perfectly with the songs and Kenny played them great. Plus he knew when to step forward and crank up the speed for the crowd. They loved him.

The Ritz is a large open space with a balcony along three walls. The open floor was crowded on a Monday night and mostly with people much younger than Lucinda. But they loved her.

Lucinda influences and songs range from blues to country to pop to rock. She covers Howling Wolf and has been covered by Patty Lovelace, Tom Petty, and of course Mary Chapin Carpenter. She has a strong voice that can wail or be very seductive. The passion flows out electrically and erotically from songs such as "Right in Time" and "I Just Wanted to See You So Bad." Other songs invoke broken romances and broken lives with a lonely trailer image reflected from her album covers in the singer's voice. "Crescent City" celebrates a beautiful time in her child hood in Louisiana and "Passionate Kisses" stretches dreams into young adulthood. Strong songs, strong vocal performances, a tight strong band and I need to find another adjective that means great.

Jim Lauderdale opened the show singing and playing guitar. He is from Statesville, NC and went to the nearby Carolina Friends School so this was a homecoming of sorts. He has made it to having his songs recorded by George Jones, Patty Lovelace, and Ralph Stamely. And now he is opening and singing harmony and playing harmonica with Lucinda Williams. Jim seemed quite happy. He has a unique wailing voice and a rough guitar style that just need a little more aging.

They band played steady covering most of her great album "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road" as well as older songs. The set began with the power pop influenced "Right in Time" and "Metal Firecracker" as well as the title song from "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road." They then moved through other moods building near the end of the set when they rocked out with "Changed the Locks" and "Joy." The guitars went wild. They came back for other hits including "Passionate Kisses" and the soulful "Something About What Happens When We Talk" before ending with the beautifully simple "Jackson." Along the way they added one my favorites "Drunken Angel", "Can't Let Go", "Greenville", "Still I Long for Your Kiss", and the irrestible "Crescent City". She also decide to slip in a dreary version of Dylan's "Masters of War" - part of the noble effort to stop land mines but not very musical. For the second encore they added three blues songs where Lucinda played more guitar and seemed more relaxed especially on Howling Wolf's "Come to Me Baby."

The band matched the album while adding sizzle - no mean feat for an already hot album. There's not much to complain about except maybe the sound was a little too loud for the sound system and the guys behind liked to shout to each through the songs.

I discovered Lucinda for myself this year and I would give her artist of the year based on "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road", the reissue of "Lucinda Williams" and this show. Sorry if you missed it.



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