Lucinda Williams/Little Honey Vinyl 2LP (VG+)

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The Absolute Sound's November 2008 Recording of the Issue! 

  TAS Rated 4/5 Music, 4/5 Sonics in the November 2008 Issue of The Absolute Sound! 

  Lucinda Williams has always been adept at painting landscapes of the soul,   illuminating the spirit’s shadowy nooks and shimmering crannies, but she’s never   captured the sun breaking through the clouds as purely as on her Lost Highway   release, Little Honey.
 
  Williams wastes no time signaling the mood change from her previous 'darkly   introspective' works, leading into Little Honey's opener, “Real Love” with a   false start riff that's the six-string equivalent of a friendly wink – then   sidling into the tune's hard-rocking vibe with a sensual slink that underscores   the passion of finding exactly what that title indicates. The bluesy physicality   of that tune is echoed in several of Little Honey's tracks, from the charmingly   chugging “Honeybee” to the gorgeous melodies of “If Wishes Were Horses”.
 
  While Little Honey certainly has plenty to move the hips, Williams doesn't   neglect her uncanny ability to do the same to the heart. The sparse delta   delivery she affords “Heaven Blues” - a keening consideration of what might   await on the other side – hits home thanks to its arresting blend of hope and   vexation, while the epic “Rarity” rides soft waves of brass (instrumentation   never before heard on one of her discs).
 
  Over the course of a recording career that's now in its fourth decade, Lucinda   Williams has established a reputation as one of rock's most uncompromising and   consistently fascinating writers and performers, earning kudos from artists as   diverse as Mary-Chapin Carpenter (who helped win Williams a Grammy with her   recording of “Passionate Kisses”) and Elvis Costello (who joins her for a duet   on the Little Honey mini-drama “Jailhouse Tears”).
 
  Little Honey continues that ongoing forward quest, mixing country, R & B and   blues-rock elements with adventurous aplomb. The disc gets an added octane boost   from the powerful chemistry between the musicians, primarily drawn from   Williams’ latest road band (now collectively known as Buick 6) which includes   bassist David Sutton, Eels veterans Butch Norton and Chet Lyster as well as   longtime collaborator Doug Pettibone.
 
  Williams augments that core unit with a passel of like-minded folks spanning a   huge chunk of the musical spectrum, from octogenarian singing legend Charlie   Louvin to power-pop vets Susannah Hoffs and Matthew Sweet, the latter of whom   helped arrange the Spector-tinged “Little Rock Star”, applying studio skills   that prompted Williams to dub him “this generation’s Brian Wilson.”
 
  Special guests include Elvis Costello, Matthew Sweet, Susanna Hoffs, Charlie   Louvin, Jim Lauderdale and Tim Easton.
 
  "... sounds great, courtesy of a lively recording that prizes organic tones,   transparent vocals, and dynamic acoustics." - Bob Gendron, The Absolute   Sound, November 2008 

  Features:
  • Double LP
 
  Selections:
  1. Real Love
  2. Circles And X's
  3. Tears Of Joy
  4. Little Rock Star
  5. Honey Bee
  6. Well Well Well
  7. If Wishes Were Horses
  8. Jailhouse Tears
  9. Knowing
  10. Heaven Blues
  11. Rarity
  12. Plan To Marry
  13. It's A Long Way To The Top