Category:
Roots / Singer/Songwriter

Try if you like:
Blue Mountain, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, Townes Van Zandt

• Real Love (audio) High

Remember back when everyone was eagerly awaiting Car Wheels on a Gravel Road? Lucinda Williams was not happy with anything that was coming out of the studio. But it appears that she has overcome that perfectionist block she was having. There was only a year between her last album, West, and her new album, Little Honey. At one time this was a 4-6 year process.

West was a terrible album. It seemed to lack the rockers and almost all the songs were overly repetitive. It seems Lucinda might have been holding those rockers for Little Honey. This album is a lot more upbeat than last years, although let it be clear that there are plenty of mellow ballads but with much more diversity than West. The album opens with "Real Love" and it is a fine return to form for Lu. "Circles and X's" is a track along the same tempo of some of the songs from West but at least she adds some great instrumentation to add diversity, saving the listener from boredom. Her band, Buick 6, is highlight as a key component so many times on this album. Check out the persuasive blues number "Tears Of Joy" for evidence. "Little Rock Star" starts you thinking that "Real Love" is the most rocking song of the set but then the extremely raunchy "Honey Bee" envelopes you in rocking glory. "Well Well Well" carries on the upbeat tempo sounding like a classic Sun Records track. I love the production on this one. I was ecstatic to hear Elvis Costello join Lucinda on the amazing duet "Jailhouse Tears", a song that could be her best ever. Another great blues track is "Heaven Blues". And if you aren't sold that there are rockers on Little Honey then check out her clever cover of AC/DC's "It's A Long Way To The Top". What a great way to end off an album that has redeemed all the faults of West. Now if Lucinda could only erase West from her back catalog.

Lucinda Williams returns from her worst career album to what could be construed as her best album. Very interesting.