Lucinda Williams
Little Honey
Lost Highway
By Mike Randall
Take a stroll through Lucinda Williams’ catalogue and you’d be hard pressed to find any rosy moments. She’s been defined as a sort of outlaw of folk and alt-country, but the fact of the matter is she’s more victim than rebel. Burned by men, drugs and life in general, she hasn’t been subtle in painting a picture of a woman hardened by her experiences, and her art has been all the more better for it. Not known for her prolificacy over the course of the first two decades or so of her career, as the pain has piled up so have the records since the clock struck 2000. Case and point was 2006’s West, called by many her best work since the masterpiece that was 1998’s Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, dealing with the combustion of an unhealthy relationship and the death of her mom, it was some of the most sullen work she’d ever produced. Because of the dire circumstances that were shaking her world at the time, her songwriting for the follow-up to West took a twist toward a more fantastic realm, which for others might simply be known as writing about things that make you happy. A funny thing happened after writing the songs for Little Honey, though. Her fantasy became a reality.
Little Honey is Williams’ ninth record, and it stands out for a number of reasons, the most noticeable being her spirits have never been higher. After writing songs of love and discovery, she started practicing what she preached by beginning a relationship with her manager, Tom Overby. Now engaged, Williams has a spring in her step as she clearly envisions a face in lyrics like, “And all the time I was thinking no way/All the time I thought I’d never say/I found the love I’ve been looking for,” from the album opening “Real Love.” With snarling and slicing guitars from her tremendous touring band Buick 6, “Love” is instant evidence of a record that’s harder, faster and more polished than anything she’s done before. From the smoky blues of “Tears of Joy” to the sexually charged boogie of “Honey Bee” (the line ““Now I got your honey all over my tummy” is a particular head turner) to the solo folk of “Plan To Marry,” Williams uses her love as a weapon against the evil and negativity in the world.
Since most of Little Honey’s tracks were written before cementing her relationship with Overby, there are still some bleak moments, but Williams still comes across like someone who’s older and wiser as opposed to immature and bitter. The honky-tonk country of “Well Well Well” (featuring backing vocals from Charlie Louvin) is a particular toe-tapping highlight but it’s the filthy delta blues of “Heaven Blues” that is the record’s show stealer. An admission that everything will make sense in the afterlife, Williams resembles a female Tom Waits, her cracking voice wallowing in pain. The brokenhearted country piano and lightly strummed acoustic guitar of “If Wishes Were Horses” is probably the most “classic” Williams track here, with its gorgeous melody recalling some of her finest, most angst-ridden output. She proves that while she might be feeling more upbeat, she hasn’t forgotten the not-so-distant demons in her rearview. Williams even takes time to scold young hooligans like Pete Doherty, Amy Winehouse and Ryan Adams for throwing away their talents on “Little Rock Star.” “Even if you fake it to get attention/Whatever it’ll take to get them to listen,” she sings from the point of view of someone who’s been there and knows.
Williams is sort of recognized for having been done wrong, often by her own doing, but Little Honey is the first evidence that she’s made it through and everything is going to turn out alright. During the album-ending take on the AC/DC classic “It’s A Long Way To The Top,” her blues-y snarl sounds as true to the song as anyone not named Bon Scott. As she sings, “It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock ‘n’ roll,” Williams speaks from experience, and with the confidence of someone who’s finally at peace. Little Honey might not be the record that’s listed at the top of her epitaph, but it’s good for a solid listen of great American music, and Williams doesn’t sound half bad as someone who’s content.
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