ANYBODY that loves Americana music has undoubtedly heard Lucinda Williams' classic 1998 album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.
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The record won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album and turned the then 45-year-old into a mainstream star after two decades of earning respect in the US underground alt-country and roots scene.
For the first time since Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Williams has reunited with producer Ray Kennedy on her latest record Good Souls Better Angels. The record is also co-produced by Williams and her husband and manager Tom Overby.
Over the course of her illustrious career, Williams has often focused her songwriting on internal conflicts and narrative story-telling. On Good Souls Better Angels, Williams shifts her attention to modern America and the political flashpoints which are seemingly tearing the country at the seams.
And Williams is furious. Good Souls Better Angels, is full of fire and brimstone, of Biblical iconography, and raw emotion.
The single Man Without A Soul is a scathing dismantling of US President Donald Trump. You can almost taste her anger as she seethes, "You bring nothing good to this world/ Beyond a web of cheating and stealing/ You hide behind your wall of lies."
Butch Norton's manic drumming and Stuart Mathis' slicing guitar only heightens the drama of the droning country blues track.
Bad News Blues focuses on the insidious nature of the 24-hour news cycle and Big Black Train alludes to a frightening depression you don't want a ticket for.
Bone Of Contention and Wakin' Up are among the heaviest cuts in Williams' canon as her backing band Buick 6 fly off the leash in blues-rock thrashers.
As with any Williams album, the greatest instrument is her voice. At 67 the extra weathering from four decades of touring has only added more character and her vocal phrasing continually bends melodies to her will.
While many of her contemporaries rest on past glories, Williams remains committed to self-exploration and on Good Souls Better Angels she has unveiled some of her most inspired work.
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
