BLOBBY'S BLOG

Record of the Month

I figured I'd do a monthly 'what I'm listening to' kind of thing. This could be viewed as a lame placeholder kind of post. And probably it is. But it's my blog! So there!

These may or may not be newly released disks. They might not even be a good disk - just what is been in heavy rotation in my car (as usually the iPod is playing anywhere else). I was not expecting a Lucinda Williams disk so soon after West was released. I didn't even know Little Honey was coming until I stumbled across a review in a Sunday paper a few days prior to its release date.

Unlike many, I really liked West, save a few songs. I thought it had some unique elements for a Williams disk. It was supposedly her 'sad' album, as opposed to her 'angry' album or this one, which people are calling her 'happy' disk. Whatever.

Williams sings with such conviction on any of her releases, that I don't really go for the emotional labels people & reviewers insist putting on her.

But I will say - after a month or so of playing, this disk is not grabbing me. Not entirely. It has its moments, but all of her disks have moments (World Without Tears, anyone??). I will also say, the iPod has made full "album" listening much more difficult. I lament the loss of the needle hitting vinyl and listening to a disk song by song. Some of the issue is my time, or lack thereof.

I'm not surprised at folks like Jim Lauderdale & Elvis Costello on the disk. A little more at Matthew Sweet and much more so of Susanna Hoffs (though when you get Sweet, sometimes you get Hoffs), and then can't quite over a cover of any AC/DC song ("It's a Long Way to the Top"). It was a surprise to see a little known singer, Gia Ciambotti, from an 80's group called the Graces, doing background vocals.

As with the last few albums, Williams has some stand-outs, some ok songs and some clunkers.
I love "Knowing", "Circle and X's" and "Rarity". I really like "Real Love" and "Little Rock Star" too. But in my opinion, when the songs clunk, they clunk. I'm not a fan of "Well Well Well" or "Honey Bee" - and don't get me started on that AC/DC song.

My only true problem with Lucinda's last few disks is that she is consistently inconsistent. And that is an issue I had not seen in her before World Without Tears. I'm hoping she can rectify that. Like I said, all of her disks have moments - I want more than that.