Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone
Lucinda Williams has never had a comfortable relationship with the commercial side of the recording industry -- her battles with various major labels in the '90s are the stuff of legend -- and even though she had a reasonably stress-free partnership with Lost Highway Records from 2001's Essence to 2011's Blessed, it seems fitting that she would eventually decide to strike out on her own. 2014's Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone is Williams' first album for her own label, Highway 20 Records, giving her complete control over the creative process, and though this doesn't always sound like an album where Williams is challenging herself musically, for a musician who has long believed in the power of nuance, this is an album that feels unerringly right for her, full of sweet and sour blues, acoustic pondering, and simple, bare bones rock & roll that slips into the groove with Williams' literate but unpretentious songs.
There's always a fair bit of dirt that kicks up in Lucinda Williams' distinctive drawly vocals.
For a musician who can be as withholding as Williams, the generosity of Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone is a welcome change.
Singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams delivers a compelling collection of 20 beautifully-crafted songs, says Neil McCormick