Little Honey

Lucinda WilliamsLittle HoneyAny rookie music critic must sign off on five universal decrees before having their work published. First: don’t wander through person theories concerning Bob Dylan lyrics - you‘re wrong, everyone knows it. Second: generously utilize unusual words and phrasings that will make your reader feel brighter than they actually are (this rule added in 2002). Third: any modern album produced by Steve Albini, Nigel Godrich, Rick Rubin, Dave Fridmann or Brian Eno must discuss the production at length. Fourth: run-on sentences are okay when “post-” or other hyphenated genre descriptors are used. Fifth: Lucinda Williams only makes great albums, but none so absolute as her 1998 classic, Car Wheel On a Gravel Road.

The fourth in a series of Lost Highway-issued Williams studio albums released this decade, Little Honey is yet another steady piece of competent Americana from one of this era‘s most celebrated songwriters. All of the albums in this series are nearly as noteworthy as Car Wheels, though none hit the level of long-labored perfection said album is celebrated for. Little more need be said if you already count yourself a fan of those recent albums. There are no reinventions here, just a few subtle shifts and scoots to offer the album an identity of its own; that’s all, really, that’s needed from a longstanding singer/songwriter of Williams‘ stature.

The production sound on Honey is a pinch slicker than everything since her flagship record; Elvis Costello sings a verse or two for no good reason; a few tunes turn up the heat more than usual; a bewildering cover tune selection closes out the record in a clumsy fashion. Them’s the differences, otherwise this is really just another sturdy Lucinda Williams record. All the hallmarks of her sound - lazy heartache, drunk-as-hell vocals, hooks galore, middle class observations - are still everywhere, hitting like a shabby guitar cranking blues-infused country riffs. Same as it ever was. Lucinda Williams still turns ‘em out in a classic manner, the star of the show - as always - being her vocal howl, which will be remember far beyond those of her contemporaries.

Looking closer at the details, however, will raise a few flags. For starters, a new band - called Buick 6 and featuring her longtime lead guitarist Doug Pettibone - are shit-sharp and too often more bluesy than twangy. Sounds tolerable, but the subtle under-produced looseness - almost even live-in-studio sound - of many of Williams’ previous records worked much better with her pre-hangover vocal style. While much of Pettibone’s playing is remarkable and will make fans of modern post-authentic blues shiver, the sound - combined with the upgraded production of Eric Liljestrand and Tom Overby - sounds a smidge too contemporary for Williams’ comfort zone.

The vocal/writing focus seems to have shifted a bit, too. Where Williams was once known for her lean, memorable writing, she now seems to be penning simpler-than-ever lyrics that lend more to the listener’s ears than mind. The result in this case makes for the best batch of Williams vocals to date, and likewise some of the most uninspiring lyrics. The aforementioned “Plan to Marry,” as well as “If Wishes Were Horses,” sounds and reads just as classic-like as any of her previous work, while “Real Love” and “Honey Bee” leave nothing to the imagination. Most of the tunes, again, work their hardest at trying to simply sound approachable and memorable, full of one-liners and universally applicable subject matter.

To some, the 52 full-blown studio songs Williams has already released this decade will be favored to her 90s output, even if a third of them are near-snoozers. To most, however, the near-perfect 25 tunes she released in the ‘90s are still much preferred to this very busy decade she‘s having. Regardless, with Little Honey Williams has once again assured her fanbase that she is incapable of putting out an album that is anything less worth getting to know. Fans will buy it and be happy they did, as always. Ears fixed on The Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt and even buzz bands like The Moondoggies will enjoy the record, too.  7.5/10

Written by G. William Locke