Little Honey
Lucinda Williams
2008
Lucinda Williams the perfectionist has been replaced by Lucinda Williams the dynamic yet slightly inconsistent performer. This isn’t meant as a slight in the least. Considering she only released four albums the first 20 years of her career and then went on to release four studio records this decade alone, she has grown more comfortable with what she deems to be acceptable material. The fans of this hard to define performer are the real victors here.
Her latest effort, “Little Honey,” is a mix of blues, alternative country, roots rock and flat out barn burners. The many variances of style is precisely the reason that a typical Lucinda Williams fan may find her latest effort a bit difficult to grasp. “Real Love” kicks things off with Williams channeling the Rolling Stones and every other great element of 1970’s rock and roll. The final few notes have the capable Doug Pettibone doing his best Jimi Hendrix imitation. So this is Lucinda letting it all hang out? Nice.
The fine, rockabilly flavored “Circles and X’s” is up next and then is followed by the bluesy “Tears of Joy.” It is impossible to listen to this third track however and not hear the riff for one of the erectile dysfunctional TV commercials. A great song spoiled by a bad commercial.
“Little Rock Star” is next. If you close your eyes and listen you can almost see the lighters held aloft and swayed back and forth in the stadium. The sound is large enough to fill any space. Feedback. Distortion. Loud drums. Cymbals. Chang Chang. Her voice hitting just the right frailties at just the right moment. It works perfectly.
“Honey Bee” is next and a more powerful song you will not find. Quite often you will hear artists throw a real rocking song on to an album to try and show they can be as loud as the next band. It usually doesn’t work. In this case, however, Williams delivers something that would fit at home on any hard rock album. Turn it up to 11.
She stumbles a bit on “Jailhouse Tears.” It is a duet with Elvis Costello with each one trying to outdo each other regarding the hopelessness of their situation as conveyed through a strained voice. It’s like they intentionally sang the song this way and they intended it to be a joke. Yet the joke isn’t funny. I’ve listened to this song several times to try and force myself into “getting” their joke. I never do.
“Rarity” is the kind of sonic masterpiece that most serious musicians attempt at least once during their musical career, but few pull off successfully. Perfectly placed horns, cymbals and backing vocals from Susanna Hoffs and Mathew Sweet help move this song along at just the right pace. It’s nice and slow. You want it to linger until the last note.
You are a rarity
Your eyes say wisdom
Your skin says frailty
Your mouth says listen
Your voice a cello
Your words speak volumes
In and out, around flow
Like Leonard Cohen’s
Since you were invented
Since you came along
No one’s even attempted
To come close to the beauty of your song
No hits on the radio
No one knows who you are
No big deal with a video
So you’re never gonna be a big star
You won’t be attending
Meetings with presidents
Of companies pretending
To protect their investments
While they suck the gristle
Off the bones of your art
Unfaithful and fickle
Seductive and smart
They’ll say you’re a rarity
And sleep in your bed
And strangle your purity
And leave you for dead
They’ll call you little honey
And write you a check
Seduce you with money
And fuck your respect
For offering a small glimpse
Through your secret door
Of your intellect and brilliance
You deserve so much more
‘Cause you, you’re a rarity
Your eyes say wisdom
Your skin says frailty
Your mouth says listen
Williams is backed by a very capable band and this is probably the biggest reason that she rocks as much as she does on this disc. It’s also good to see Butch Norton from early Eels fame providing the percussion on this disc. David Sutton provides the bass and Chet Lyster handles the electric and acoustic guitar as well as the saw and table steel. It somehow seems fitting that someone named Chet plays the table steel guitar.
Considering the wise choices Williams and her producers Eric Liljestrand and Tom Overby made on the rest of the album it seems unusual they would have missed on the final track. The AC/DC cover of “It’s a Long Way To The Top” fails to kick like it could have. I’m quite certain that there are alternate versions of this song that exist out there on the cutting room floor and I think they would have been wise to use one of these compared to the version that ended up on the disc. This is of course totally subjective and I’m also reasonably sure that there are people who will enjoy this track immensely. That is of course the beauty of quality music and one of the reasons that listening to someone as gifted as Lucinda Williams is a treat each and every time you turn it on.
Overall I would rate this disc 4 out of 5 stars. It isn’t perfect but there are parts of it that shine as bright as any tune she has ever produced. If you are in to the single song download thing then I would suggest: “Real Love” “Circles and X’s” “Little Rock Star” “Honey Bee” “If Wishes Were Horses” “Rarity” Again, I wonder if the garden variety Lucinda Williams fan will be a put off by this album. She flat out rocks in certain places and if you purchase this music thinking you are getting the typical, contemplative Williams, then you should probably look elsewhere. For the fan who enjoys all different types of music, this disc offers a lot.