A good album, but not as amazing as Essence and Car Wheels, nor as fun as Lucinda Williams. Sweet Old World seems somehow less embroidered than those other records, holds fewer standout tunes and is less immediately appealing. As such, it stands or falls very much on the strength of its songs and their delivery, and while both are consistently strong, and while that 'Lucinda' sound is still there, and still pleasing to the ear, the album nonetheless occasionally drags a little - not a sensation I've experienced when listening to any of those other records...
Then again, maybe (the which would hardly be surprising given how heavily I've played her in recent times) I've just reached saturation point with Lucinda for the time being...
