A beautiful day with such good vibes that everybody, bands included, seemed a little blissed out. Do we need a little threatening weather or oppressive heat to generate some urgency? – Cedric Watson and Bijou Creole felt urgent, not just in their performance but conceptually. His exploration of his Creole roots not only includes music [...]
Tag Archives: Lucinda Williams
Lucinda Williams, Blessed (Lost Highway Records)
March 1, 2011 – 12:54 am
As heard here, Lucinda Williams’ voice seems to be losing shape, a battered piano, muddled at some places, strangely fitting at others, wearing out in its own unique way. Matched with pedal-steel guitars as on “Copenhagen,” the voice bleeds like watercolor, threatening to lose form and wear out the paper. At such points, the words [...]
Treme News: Simon Reflections, TV and Car Wheels
June 22, 2010 – 3:07 pm
The first season of HBO’s Treme came to a close on Sunday. Afterwards, David Simon talked about the first season with Alan Sepinwall at hitfix.com. The conversation often deals with one of the central issues Treme faced—how different it is from conventional television. Recently, I addressed the complaint that nothing happens on the show; Simon addresses it as [...]
Toussaint, NOJO and Blanchard Nominated for Grammys
December 3, 2009 – 9:52 am
Wednesday night, the nominees for the 52nd Grammy Awards were announced in Los Angeles, and while the big story of the night for much of the music world was Beyoncé being nominated for ten Grammys and Taylor Swift for eight, the local news is that Allen Toussaint’s The Bright Mississippi and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra’s [...]
Kristin Diable, Extended Play (Speakeasy)
December 1, 2009 – 12:01 am
With a look and a sound that is far beyond her years, Kristin Diable tells her story in the purest of folk tradition on Extended Play. Each song showcases her contralto voice that sounds as though it’s been tainted by cigarette smoke and experience, a sound that suits her. You’ve definitely heard this type of [...]
Kathleen Edwards, Asking for Flowers (Zoe/Rounder)
May 1, 2008 – 12:01 am
Anyone who can work hockey player Marty McSorley into a chorus has admirable songwriting chops. The mystery on the album is really why roots rock fans haven’t rallied around Edwards like they have around Lucinda Williams. Is she paying the price for her Canadian-ness? For living in a civilized country with a healthy sense of [...]
