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The opening track 'Lonely Girls' is a good lesson in musical minimalism; the odd guitar chord, some rasping vocals - a pedestrian pace yes, but the overall effect is a delightful melancholy, which at the same time manages to sound uplifting. 'Steal Your Love' is similar in style. 'I Envy the Wind' and 'Blue' sound sad, but like a lot of sad things, they achieve a beauty all of their own, and the latter track is my favourite on the album. The rockier tracks 'Out of Touch', 'Essence' and 'Get Right With God' are equally pleasing.
'Go find a jukebox and see what a quarter will do' is the opening line of 'Blue', my favourite track on the album and is a lyric I could not have come up with in several lifetimes. This may have something to do with the fact I'm not from the deep south USA, but this woman is quite simply a genius. If you haven't discovered Lucinda Williams yet, discover her now and buy this album.
Essence strips down the arrangements and slows the pace of the songs to a melancholic crawl, and while the band arrangements remain, songs here are driven by softly played acoustic guitar. And it is every bit as magical as the much-loved 'Car Wheels', but Williams has added a new dimension of intimacy. On tracks such as Blue, where her voice is so prominent in the mix, you can feel and hear the emotion and raw beauty of the simple tune. Listen to this through headphones and it sounds phenomenal, as if she were in the room with you.
Standout track is the title track, a grinding, slow-burning ode to sexual desire and lust which features the most astonishing backing vocal performance from Gary Louris (Jayhawks). Having said that, there aren't any tunes here that don't stand out after repeated listens.
Lucinda Williams has always put raw emotion into her music, but it has never sounded as affecting or genuine as it does here. Curl up on your sofa with a bottle of wine and this album, and watch the winter evenings go by.
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