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Rating: Here is the true, splendid Lucinda Williams: between country, Tapestry, and folk-rock d'auteur à la Joni Mitchell.
It took her six years to produce "Car Wheels…", which was released for the first time in 1998 with thirteen tracks that definitively drew attention to this artist from Lake Charles, Louisiana. Despite the long gestation process, the individual tracks do not suffer from "overproduction"; instead, they remain straightforward, fluid, and "muddy" like the landscape of the lower Mississippi itself, which in the album - you can bet! - reigns supreme.
Lucinda carries out an operation that we could define as "turning her soul inside out like a glove," revealing all of herself in intimate lyrics like "Right In Time" and in others that express the feeling of being "on the road" (practically all the remaining ones, here and there enriched by masterful slide guitars). The album should be considered an autobiography of the youthful years of the blonde singer-songwriter, and the names of the musicians who collaborated on this production inevitably provoke the "a-ah!" effect: Steve Earle, Donald Lindley, Charlie Sexton, Buddy Miller, and the ever-present Emmylou Harris (among others). It's one of those CDs that seem to tell you "cool up!", "calm down and listen", and my advice is to enjoy it in its entirety (including the bonuses) while letting it flow from the car stereo, preferably while on a long journey. It's impossible not to be drawn to the lyrics: pure poetry with references destined for all lovers of rock-blues and folk. Here are two exemplary excerpts:
"We used to drive / Through Lafayette and Baton Rouge / In a yellow El Camino / Listening to Howlin Wolf..." ("Lake Charles")
"We'd put on ZZ Top / and turn 'em up real loud / I used to think you were strong / I used to think you were proud / I used to think nothing could be wrong" ("Metal Firecracker").
Although the sound of the first edition of Car Wheels... was already exceptional, the album (which won a Grammy and a gold record) has been released in several other remastered versions, where Williams' voice thankfully remains untouched while the sound carpet has been made more fluid and crystalline - where needed. The extra tracks in this and all the other "enhanced" reissues are interesting.
Thanks to "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road", Lucinda, who was already highly appreciated among others by Tom Petty (who did a cover of "Changed the Locks" from the singer-songwriter's first self-produced album), earned the praise of various folk and country legends. New York rock musician Jesse Malin, a well-known big fan of Neil Young, Tom Waits, and Steve Earle, must have also been enchanted by Williams, so much so that in his latest album "Glitter in the Gutter" (2007) he dedicated a song to her, bearing her very name: "Lucinda".
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten (04:42)
You can't depend on anything really
There's no promises there's no point
There's no good there's no bad
In this dirty little joint
No dope smoking no beer sold after 12 o'clock
Rosedale Mississippi Magic City Juke Joint
Mr Johnson sings over in a corner by the bar
Sold his soul to the devil so he can play guitar
Too cool to be forgotten
Hey hey too cool to be for gotten
Man running thru the grass outside
Says he wants to take up serpents
Says he will drink the deadly thing
And it will not hurt him
House rule no exceptions
No bad language no gambling no fighting
Sorry no credit don't ask
Bathroom wall reads is God the answer YES
Too cool to be forgotten
Hey hey too cool to be forgotten
June bug vs hurricane
June bug vs hurricane
Hey hey
SOLO
I had a lover
I thought he was mine
Thought I'd always be his valentine
Leaning agianst the railing of a Lake Charles bridge
Overlooking the river leaning over the edge
He asked me baby would you jump into the water with me
I told him no way baby that's your own death you see
Too cool to be forgotten
Hey hey too cool to be forgotten
June bug vs hurricane
June bug vs hurricane
Hey hey
From Lucinda Williams "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road"
Mercury Records 1998
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp/Lucy Jones Music
Nomad-Noman Music(BMI)
05 Concrete and Barbed Wire (03:08)
This wall divides us
We're on two different sides
But this wall is not real
How can it be real
It's only made of concrete and barbed wire
Concrete and barbed wire
Concrete and barbed wire
It's only made of concrete and barbed wire
Back in Algiers my darling broke my heart
But he can't seem to break down this wall
With two strong hands he couldn't move it at all
And it's only made of concrete and barbed wire
Concrete and barbed wire
Concrete and barbed wire
It's only made of concrete and barbed wire
Down in Opelousas dogs are at the gate
And they're mean lord they're mean
There's a wall between us, but it's not what it seems
It's only made of concrete and barbed wire
Concrete and barbed wire
Concrete and barbed wire
It's only made of concrete and barbed wire
Somewhere in Louisiana my sugar's doing time
But he can't spend time with me
If he could get over this wall he'd see
That it's only made of concrete and barbed wire
Concrete and barbed wire
Concrete and barbed wire
It's only made of concrete and barbed wire
Concrete and barbed wire
Concrete and barbed wire
It's only made of concrete and barbed wire
06 Lake Charles (05:28)
written by Lucinda Williams
Buddy Miller guitar
John Ciambotti bass guitar
Donald Lindley drums
Charlie Sexton dobro guitar
Roy Bittan accordion
Jim Lauderdale harmony vocals
He had a reason to get back to Lake Charles
He used to talk about it
He'd just go on and on
He always said Louisana
Was where he felt at home
He was born in Nacogdoches
That's in East Texas
Not far from the border
But he liked to tell everybody
He was from Lake Charles
Did an angel whisper in your ear
And hold you close and take away your fear
In those long last moments
We used to drive
Thru Lafayette and Baton Rouge
In a yellow Camino
Listening to Howling Wolf
He liked to stop in Lake Charles
Cause that's the place that he loved
Did you run about as far as you could go
Down the Lousiana highway
Across Lake Ponchatrain
Now your soul is in Lake Charles
No matter what they say
Did an angel whisper in your ear
And hold you close and take away your fear
In those long last moments
SOLO
He had a reason to get back to Lake Charles
He used to talk about it
He'd just go on and on
He always said Louisana
Was where he felt at home
Did an angel whisper in your ear
And hold you close and take away your fear
In those long last moments
Did an angel whisper in your ear
And hold you close and take away your fear
In those long last moments
From Lucinda Williams "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road"
Mercury Records 1998
Warner Tamerlane Publishing Company/Lucy Jones Music
Nomad-Noman Music(BMI)
09 Metal Firecracker (03:30)
John Ciambotti bass guitar
Donald Lindley drums
Gurf Morlix guitar/harmony vocal
Steve Earle acoustic guitar
Michael Smotherman organ
Once we rode together
In a metal firecracker
You told me I was your queen
You told me I was your biker
You told me I was your everything
Once I was in your blood
And you were obsessed with me
You wanted to paint my picture
You wanted to undress me
You wanted to see me in your future
All I ask
Don't tell anybody the secrets
Don't tell anybody the secrets
I told you
All I ask
Don't tell anybody the secrets
Don't tell anybody the secrets
I told you
Once you held me so tight
I thought I'd lose my mind
You said I rocked your world
You said it was for all time
You said that I would always be your girl
We'd put on ZZ Top
And turn em up real loud
I used to think you were strong
I used to think you were proud
I used to think nothing could go wrong
All I ask
Don't tell anybody the secrets
Don't tell anybody the secrets
I told you
All I ask
Don't tell anybody the secrets
I told you
From Lucinda Williams "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road"
Mercury Records 1998
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp/Lucy Jones Music
Nomad-Noman Music(BMI)
10 Greenville (03:23)
written by Lucinda Williams
Richard Price guitar
John Ciambotti bass guitar
Donald Lindley drums
Charlie Sexton guitar
Roy Bittan accordion
Buddy Miller mando guitar/acoustic guitar
Emmylou Harris harmony vocals
Don't wanna see you again or hold your hand
Cause you don't really love me you're not my man
You're not my man oh you're not my man
Go back to Greenville just go on back to Greenville
You scream and shout and you make a scene
When you open your mouth you never say what you mean
Say what you mean oh say what you mean
Go back to Greenville just go on back to Greenville
You drink hard liquor you come on strong
You lose your temper someone looks at you wrong
Looks at you wrong oh looks at you wrong
Go back to Greenville just go on back to Greenville
Out all night playin in a band
Looking for a fight with a guitar in your hand
A guitar in your hand oh a guitar in your hand
Go back to Greenville just go on back to Greenville
Empty bottles and broken glass
Busted down doors and borrowed cash
Borrowed cash oh the borrowed cash
Go back to Greenville just go on back to Greenville
Looking for someone to save you
Looking for someone to rave about you
To rave about you oh to rave about you
Go back to Greenville just go on back to Greenville
From Lucinda Williams "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road"
Mercury Records 1998
Warner Tamerlane Publishing Company/Lucy Jones Music
Nomad-Noman Music(BMI)
12 Joy (04:01)
written by ?Lucinda Williams.
from CARWHEELS ON A GRAVEL ROAD (Mercury Records CD).
i don't want you anymore
cause you took my joy
i don't want you anymore
you took my joy
you took my joy
i want it back
you took my joy
i want it back
i'm gonna go to west memphis and look for my joy
go to west memphis and look for my joy
maybe in west memphis I'll find my joy
maybe in west memphis i'll find my joy
i'm gonna go to slidell and look for my joy
go to slidell and look for my joy
maybe in slidell I'll find my joy
maybe in slidell I'll find my joy
(first long instrumental break)
you got no right to take my joy
i want it back
you got no right to take my joy
i want it back
you took my joy
i want it back
you took my joy
i want it back
i'm gonna go to west memphis and look for my joy
go to west memphis and look for my joy
maybe in west memphis i'll find my joy
maybe in west memphis i'll find my joy
i'm gonna go to slidell and look for my joy
go to slidell and look for my joy
maybe in slidell i'll find my joy
maybe in slidell i'll find my joy
(second instrumental break)
i don't want you anymore
cause you took my joy
i don't want you anymore
you took my joy
you took my joy
i want it back
you took my joy
i want it back
you took my joy
i want it back
you took my
i want it back
(third & last instrumental break -- slows down)
i'm gonna go to west memphis
i'm gonna go to slidell
13 Jackson (03:42)
written by Lucinda Williams
John Ciambotti bass guitar
Donald Lindley drums
Johnny Lee Schell dobro guitar
Roy Bittan accordion
Steve Earle acoustic guitar
Gurf Morlix slide guitar
Jim lauderdale harmony vocal
All the way to Jackson
I don't think I'll miss you much
All the way to Jackson
I don't think I'll miss you much
Once I get to Lafayette
I'm not gonna mind one bit
Once I get to Lafayette
I'm not gonna mind one little bit
Once I get to Baton Rouge
I won't cry a tear for you
Once I get to Baton Rouge
I won't cry a tear for you
All the way to Jackson
I don't think I'll miss you much
All the way to Jackson
I don't think I'll miss you much
SOLO
Once I get to Vicksburg
I don't think I'll feel the urge
Once I get to Vicksburg
I won't even feel an urge
All the way to Jackson
I don't think I'll miss you much
All the way to Jackson
I don't think I'll miss you much
From Lucinda Williams "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road"
Mercury Records 1998
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp/Lucy Jones Music
Nomad-Noman Music(BMI)
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