A Fine Pair LUCINDA WILLIAMS NEWFOUND HAPPINESS HAS HER SEEING DOUBLE
BY ROBERT BAIRD A Fine Pair LUCINDA WILLIAMS NEWFOUND HAPPINESS HAS HER SEEING DOUBLE The ceiling of the Ritz Theatre, on Sixth Street in Austin, Texas, was literally caving in. Great tufts of insulation mixed with plaster hung ominously over the fidgeting crowd. It was 3am, long after beer sales had ceased, and still Lucinda Williams had not come on. This was supposed to be her big night. Her third album, Lucinda Williams, had just been released on UK label Rough Trade. Unfor- tunately, in a tale all too common in the record business, Rough Trade had gone bankrupt just as the until near dawn. record was released, and the label’s By the time the now-seething showcase at South by Southwest had singer/songwriter, who has a repu- rapidly devolved into disaster. The tation for being difficult, launched PA system was funky. And the show- into the first chords of the new case had gone off at least two hours album’s opening track, “Just Wanted late, which meant that Williams, the to See You So Bad,” anger was headliner, probably wouldn’t appear radiating from the stage. Fronting PHOTOS: MICHAEL WILSON PHOTOS: stereophile.com n December 2014 75 A FINE PAIR a band led by the great guitarist Gurf lighter, more optimistic tones. The songs Morlix, she raced through the album, range from ballads like “One More originals like “Passionate Kisses,” and Day,” a confessional plea for another “Crescent City” and the Howlin’ Wolf chance, to more rockin’ and, in one cover, “I Asked for Water (He Gave Me case, politically charged material: “West Gasoline)” in record time.
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