In 1998, Lucinda Williams emerged from relative obscurity to lavish critical and healthy commercial acclaim with Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, for which she also won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
With those credentials and only a three-year gap between albums (the last one was five) behind her, expectations were running high for Essence, Williams' follow-up to the sublime Car Wheels.
And, Williams answers with a great album... that's not as good. Car Wheels was an instant classic, and while it may not be fair to compare it with Essence, it's virtually impossible not to do so.
In Wheels, Williams gave an almost tangible picture of Southwest Louisiana and then dropped a wrenching tale of heartache and loss in front of it, with breathtaking results.
In Essence, Williams is as soulful as all get-out on most of the tracks, while others come up a little short. Nevertheless, there are some real jewels on this album. "Reason to Cry" is a wonderful country lament that sounds like it could have been written by George Jones in the late `60s. "Bus to Baton Rouge," might be the best song on the album. It's reminiscent of her story songs from Car Wheels, but slower. She seems almost to be straining to pick the beat up a little.
"Get Right with God," in a different singer's hands could almost be a hymn, but here it's sort of an uptempo, yet relaxed, shuffle.
And there's something about the way Williams snarls out the lyrics that make you believe she doesn't really want to do what she claims.
But, should you shell out your hard-earned entertainment dollar on Essence? If you're already a fan, by all means. She's in fine form, and nobody knows when she'll put out her next album. If you're a Williams neophyte, why not spend that 15-18 bucks on Car Wheels, and then decide if you need more Lucinda in your life? Chances are you will.
