Lucinda Williams - Lucinda Williams

Liking this one a lot. Released back in '89 on Rough Trade, it's more country and more upbeat than Essence (and, relatedly, in my books not as good as that latter, which I've really grown to love in recent times), but it has the same sense of gentle ache and longing to it ("Side Of The Road" comes to mind), while also housing several more rollicking, faster-paced numbers ("I Just Wanted To See You So Bad", "Changed The Locks", "Passionate Kisses"); the balance is well-struck, and neither aspect of Williams' song-writing pales by comparison to the other. Over the past year or so, I've been increasingly drawn to the intersections between folk, country, 'roots' and popular music, and Lucinda is becoming an important part of this seachange.