Four years ago this month, a howl of excitement from concert-goers ushered Lucinda Williams onto the Cain’s Ballroom stage.
Ever since one of music’s most celebrated artists and songwriters gave the city first prize for best audience on her West tour, we’ve waited (and waited) for more.
Good things, indeed, come to those who wait.
The Grammy Award-winning artist will sing for T-Town again on May 10 back at that stalwart institution of all-things-rockin’ – Cain’s Ballroom. Fresh from the release of her new album, Blessed, Williams and company bring a sound to the halls of Western swing that continues to bust-up stale musical labels.
It’s not enough to call Williams simply a country act when she draws from a deep heritage of blues, folk, rock, poetry and country to sing tales of heartbreak, passion and anger.
Blessed continues with fevered emotions and sensuous lyrical detail, but most critics have lauded the new album as a more balanced vision from one named by Time magazine as America’s best songwriter.
Here, audiences find a Williams looking beyond her Louisiana roots at the condition of others. The songs are struggles to understand, a stance most of us know well.
Recorded in 1978, her debut album Ramblin’ was all blues and folk goodness. The breakthrough known as 1998’s Car Wheels on a Gravel Road merged all her influences into one of the most celebrated American music recordings.
With Blessed, Williams continues to defy simple description, and she seems to enjoy herself doing it. This month, we’ll all feel a little blessed, too.
For tickets and more, go online to www.cainsballroom.com.
