Search - Lucinda Williams :: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road

Coming to full bloom

Soulboogiealex | Netherlands | 10/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Car Wheels on Gravel Road is the album that found Lucinda Williams coming to full bloom. To some it is even her definite album. It took Lucinda 6 years to produce Car Wheels. Some of it had to do with label difficulties but a lot of it had to do with Williams trying to find her voice, trying to get it perfect, a process that took several producers and found her back at the drawing board a few times. When the album finally came out Lucinda had changed from a mediocre but promising country singer in a majestic butterfly, albeit somewhat raggedy.



Even though the product had been 6 years in the making Car Wheels never sounds forced or overly produced. Instead we find astonishing honest songwriting where the music provides just the right amount of texture. The album paints vivid pictures of her youth, relations gone sour, disappointments and hopes. Lucinda bears her heart open for everyone to see. What her audience gets are no easy or clean-cut pictures, for that her persona is too complex and raggedy. Lucinda Williams can be a sensual angel and a venomous snake at the same time. These contrast shine through on the record and give her music a depth and humanity that a lot of other artists lack. It takes guts to show this level of honesty. Car Wheels rightfully put Lucinda Williams in the league of veterans as Springsteen and Dylan in terms of craftsmanship.



This special edition gives the record the attention it deserves. The added live performances are amazing and show a very different side of Lucinda. Her records are often a carefully produced affair where the music supports the song, her live shows are very often a fuse burning up to a raw explosion. By combining the two this deluxe edition gives a better view of the kind of artist Lucinda is than any best off package ever would. That makes it an excellent starting point for the curious but a joy for long time fans as well."

Yes, clearly worth trading up

Andrew Macgowan, III | Rochester, New York United States | 01/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The original Car Wheels is a five-star album if there ever was one. This landmark work is beyond question on of the finest albums of the 1990s. But you probably already know that. But does it really sound better, as there is some debate in this review section? (And the original is hardly shabby.) First, the difference in my pretty good car system (VW Monsoon, so nothing truly special) was not suble, if that's any help. If you have anything approaching a high-end system in your home or car, this is an easy call. The instruments just jump out of the speakers in a way the original mastering did not. Second, the added songs are certainly worth it. Third, the live set is mandatory if you love Lucinda; it was a great period of her live performances. So there you have it. And if you're new to Lucinda, it is hard to figure any down side to buying this. Get it."

A must for fans, but especially for those new to Lucinda

Jonathan Boyce | Fairfied, CT | 11/30/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Is this "Deluxe Edition" significantly better or different to warrant plunking down $27--nearly three times the cost of the original issue?



First, the "digitally remastered" original material sounds identical to the first issue, at least to my ears via my Bose stereo.



Second, is there enough new material here to warrant buying this? The answer is yes. There are three new tracks: a blues number and two studio outtakes of Out of Touch and Still I Long for your Kiss. These versions are more tender and passionate than the originals, and are better versions.



The second CD included here is a live concert from 1998. Lucinda and band are in fine form, and their playing is better than the live CD she issued in 2005. Also, her voice is less ragged than on that CD. There's also a smokin' version of Hot Blood, which should be its definitive version.



It would have been kinder for Lost Highway records to have simply issued the live material with more studio outtakes (this CD took six years and multiple attempts) to make this a worthwhile buy (thus my four star rating). But if you don't own this CD or--especially--are new to Lucinda, then this is the one to buy.



This 1998 album has received enough accolades (including a Grammy; it went gold as well) to warrant inclusion in any collection.



For those who want to hear Lucinda live for free, go to NPR's "All Songs Considered" web site. They have a 2005 concert that has her and band in fine form, and has newer material than on this CD."