634 Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (1998)

 634 Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (1998)

Studio Album - Country Rock



About the Act:

Lucinda is an American Rock, Folk and Country singer, Songwriter and Musician, from Lake Charles, Louisiana. She rolls up the sleeves of her man's shirt and plays acoustic guitar and sings. She has released 16 albums.

About the Album:

This was her fifth album. Some American critics loved it.

My History with this Album:

None

Review:

In the 90s I was a strong fan of Sheryl Crow, her song writing, and the sound of her songs. As I listened to this album, I was reminded of Sheryl Crow. A lot. Her voice is very similar, not a typical Country voice, not sweet but not rough either, at times vulnerable but determined. The production and instrumentation, the harmonies, especially the vocal harmonies, the dominance of a strong, noodling electric guitar with a little crunch to it, the pace even, all very Crow. And the songs, to be honest, are quite similar. I guess Lucinda has a slightly more Folky Country set of themes, and are possibly more personal, whereas Sheryl has been more storytelling. Let's make this very clear, if you like Sheryl Crow there is a big chance you will like this.

There are differences, of course they are different people. On this album, most of the songs are Crowlike, but there are a few that are less so, at times more Country, at times more blues even. There's one song that reminds me of that song by somebody about a big black horse and a cherry tree.

I'm not going to claim that she is a copycat, or soundalike, but I guess it's possible that the mega-success that Sheryl had may have influenced at least the production on this album somewhat. I cannot really tell because I don't know what her earlier albums sounded like. It may be that the influence went the other way, or that both are influenced by the same things. 

The songs - well the song writing is good, not flashy or clever, but straightforward, honest and not fake. There's no evidence of the overly-manipulative side of Country here, and in some ways it's all very ordinary life, and I'm guessing that it is that sheer ordinariness that has made this so successful in America. It sounds like it would ring lots of familiarity bells of you lived life in the US, especially I think in the South. I don't have that background, so although I can see that this is probably where this album really comes into its own, I don't have that resonance. 

I still enjoyed it a reasonable amount.

7.6/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3iC6dJobZulVXp0F4Bojig

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiN-7mukU_REsXTLvrdS1pKqzSOtpv5Y6

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_Wheels_on_a_Gravel_Road



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