Customer Reviews

Lucinda Williams - Live from Austin, TX

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Williams' folk-country cult status expanded into the mainstream with Patty Loveless' 1990 cover of "The Night's Too Long," and her back catalog became highly sought after when Mary Chapin Carpenter's 1993 cover of "Passionate Kisses" hit the top five, and won the songwriter a Grammy. But it was another five years before Williams finished and issued her followup, "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road," and it's at the point of that 1998 re-emergence that she made this appearance, her third, on Austin City Limits.

After all the misfires and arguments with her labels, Williams launched into this tour with a lot of pent-up artistic energy, and she pulled together a tremendous band that featured a guitar army augmenting her own acoustic, with Kenny Vaughn and John Jackson on electrics and Jim Lauderdale on second acoustic. The stereo and multichannel mixes winningly separate the players so that the contribution of each (particularly Vaughn and Jackson's array of unusual axes) can be heard distinctly. With bass, drums, organ and accordion, there's still a surprising amount of room for Williams' vocals and Lauderdale's harmonies.

The song list draws heavily from "Car Wheels," including all but three of the album's titles. The set is filled out with tracks from "Lucinda Williams" and "Sweet Old World," as well as a cover of Lil' Son Jackson's "Disgusted" that dates back to Williams' 1979 Smithsonian Folkways album, "Ramblin'." It's a balanced portrait of the sweet, sad and sandpaper sides of Williams' catalog, and a deep helping of her Southern-grounded songwriting.

Williams is visually transported throughout the performance. The close-ups of her at the microphone find her gazing without focus, lost in the stories of her lyrics. Terse song introductions and a quick round of band introductions are her only interaction with the audience. Her interplay with the band is purely musical, as she never seems to engage them visually; Jim Lauderdale can often be seen in the background singing harmony, watching Williams as she looks straight ahead.

The set reaches an emotional peak with a hypnotic 8-minute version of "Joy" on which Jackson's battle-worn Telecaster gets a fine slide workout, and Vaughn answers back with a blistering solo of his own. The electric catharsis appears to liberate Williams from her introspective trance as she launches into the closing "Can't Let Go." Crisp video and Stereo/DTS/5.1 audio tracks make this a must-have for Williams' fans, and a strong introduction for those just finding her as an artist. [©2005 hyperbolium dot com]

This is perhaps one of the very best live concerts I've seen on DVD. Sound and picture are perfect. And the intense professionalism of Williams and her band makes for a crisp, hot concert that's 99% music. But underscoring the fine performance is Williams' own growing reputation as a songwriter and singer. She's not prolific, but you will be struck how each one of the songs on this DVD is gold. And if you are familiar with her albums -- you know this high standard is the norm. Williams sings about real people in an American geography that is both familiar and intimate. Memphis, Lake Charles, Greenfield, and car wheels on a gravel road. Whew. You can practically hear the laughter, see the beer bottles rolling on the floorboard, feel the summer night breeze on your face, and the tender kiss may come with it. Williams is an American mythmaker much like Twain, Faulkner, Cormac McCarthy, Dylan, Springsteen, or the late great Larry Brown, but with a woman's southern contemporary eye.

I have a few of Lucinda's CD's with "Car Wheels on a gravel road" being my favorite. Those songs are showcased here along with some others. Her live performance is just fantastic - I actually would tell people who haven't heard her to start with this DVD. Her voice is strong and the band behind her is incredible and brings out the full spectrum of her songs. I usually am dissapointed in live performances - but not this one. If you like Lucinda's music - this will not disappoint. If your new to her, it's a great place to start your introduction.

"The female Bob Dylan". "A Modern Day Hank Williams". Like me, you've probably heard and read the comparisons before.

But, while the honor of being mentioned in the same breath as these musical geniuses cannot be denied, I truly believe Lucinda is all this and more. Lucinda is Lucinda. She stands alone in my mind. An amazing songwriter, performer, singer and musician. A women who literally brings tears to my eyes every time I hear her sing the chorus of "Lake Charles" (for Clyde). A songwriter whose lyrics are so evocative of the Deep South, that she can paint a picture of a thousand brush strokes with simple phrases like "June bug versus hurricane" or "There goes the screen door slamming shut" and "Set of keys and a dusty suitcase". Misty memories of hot summer days in the South from my childhood flash before my mind's eye each time I hear Lucinda sing. The achingly beautiful timbre of her voice with the "been there, done that" edge of painful experience that I love & admire so much.

This DVD captures all this in Lucinda's music & live performances and more. Filmed during her third appearance on "Austin City Limits" in 1998, on the heals of the release of her amazing album "Car Wheels On a Gravel Road", this is Lucinda at her brilliant best. Being prior to the release of her subsequent albums "Essence" and "World Without Tears", this performance has more of her "crooners" (as my good friend John calls them) than some of the more rockin' songs from these latter two albums (I love them all, however, so I am always pleased). One notable exception here (not the only one) is the next to the last track, "Joy" which has the crowd on their feet hootin' & hollerin' during some amazing guitar work from Kenny Vaughn and John Jackson.

Speaking of the band, they are tight, they are talented, they are incredible. And technically speaking, the video is crisp, the transitions smooth, the close-ups of the guitar work timely & plentiful (what you would expect from an "Austin City Limits" production). Finally, the DTS mix is outstanding. I was in awe during my entire first viewing, and left wanting for more (MUCH more) at the end.

In short, an absolute must-have for any Lucinda Williams fan. Run, don't walk, to your nearest store to buy this DVD. You won't regret it.

Oh yeah, while you're there, pick up her new live album, "Live @ the Fillmore". More durn good stuff...

Watching Lucinda Williams perform is a paradoxical experience. You can't call her polished, exactly; she growls, uses words like "stuff" and in every way represents the outlaw type of musician that calls Texas home. But her performances, both live and recorded, are very polished. I had the good fortune to see her in concert last October at the beautifully restored Tennessee Theater in Knoxville and was wowed by her perfomance. Her sets are tight, her band exceptional. And, guess what? She really has a sweet voice! All that comes through on this performance, recorded live a UT for Austin City Limits. The performance, following the release of "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road," was influenced by the sound of that record just as the show last year bore the marks of her latest release, "World Without Tears." On both sets her backup band is stellar. Her sweetness comes through on "Right in Time," "Still I Long for Your Kiss," "Jackson," and "Lake Charles." "Metal Firecracker" and "Changed the Locks" are straight ahead rockers. But "Joy" gives me the most joy. Guitarists Kenny Vaughan and John Jackson come off like the Allman Brothers and Lucinda bobs and weaves like a prizefighter. Maybe better than sex.

Thank Heavens they released this concert from 1998 rather than the recent Live at The Fillmore concert now on DVD. This is so much better. Actually I wish they had released both but I'll take what I can get. One of the best things about this DVD concert are the 2 electric guitarists. They are a joy to watch, much more animated than Lucinda, and are the epitomy of soulful playing over technique.

I would have loved to give this DVD five stars, but there are no features on it, meaning there are no backstage interviews, or option for Widescreen, etc. And yes I know it was recorded at Austin City Limits for TV in December 1998, and actually the sound quality is excellent just as the photography is of high quality.
It's a basic Lucinda Williams concert and she plays 16 of her until then created songs. Her voice to her songs, as well as her band, who are all top-notch professionals, are just phenomenal, but her stage presence is sometimes not easy on the eyes. It took full 6 songs til' the first few smiles came across as Lucinda just stood there without much action as if she was in some sort of pain and she sang her songs. Her guitarist Kenny Vaughan was more lively and added extra juice to her performance. Also, one of her guitarists looks like Eric Clapton, although it's not Clapton, and he too also plays pretty good, and that was a nice little touch on the side.
Her live performance on this DVD sounds very similar to her studio version of the songs and at the end Lucinda delivered an extended version of "Joy" and an abbreviated version of "Can't Let Go." I think the studio version of "Can't let go" was much better on the album (Car Wheels on a Gravel Road), and it would have been nice if they had extended "Can't let go" instead of "Joy", but that's probably a matter of taste.
Since it's the only DVD of Lucinda Williams out there, it is a "must" for every Lucinda Williams collection; and I also recommend her new and first live CD (2 CDs) "Live at the Fillmore" which is really excellent as it was recorded in November 2003, although the CD is a little bit on the edge side, but the "Fillmore CD" is a great CD.

This new live DVD from Lucinda is fantastic. Recorded from PBS's Austin City Limits in 1998, it focuses on her Car Wheels period. The songs are great and the performances are just what you'd expect from the old master. Kudos to whoever remixed the 5.1 soundtrack. Unlike many DVD's where the back speakers are just crowd noise and echoes, all the speakers are used to perfection. The guitars have such an exquisite sound, bass and keys are just right. Vocals possibly a little too overpowering. If you like Lucinda or are even a fan of the roots rock/americana/alt-country scene, you'll love this DVD. And the price is right too.

I really loved viewing this concert; Lucinda and her band are just awesome. Lucinda doesn't interact much with her audience, but definitely pleases everyone with her raunchy, heartfelt rockabilly self. I was surprised at her polished brunette-ness, but she still had the same old screaming-out-of-the-back-of-a-trailer house wail that makes her so lovably "real".

This is outstanding guitar and band "Americana", "Alternative Country", or just plain old "Rock and Roll". Lucinda is outstanding, most of the songs she performs were written by her. She is an wonderful performer also. The band is excellent and very guitar oriented.

Musicians include: Lucinda on vocals, and guitar; Kenny Vaughan who is phenomenal on the electric guitar; John Jackson on guitar; Richard "hombre" Price on bass guitar; Randy Leago on Hammond b3 organ and accordian; Fran Breen on the drums; and Jim Lauderdale on acoustic guitar.

The entire concert is phenomenally great, but some highlights I liked include: "Car Wheels on a gravel road"; "Lake Charles" (This is Lucinda's home town); "Jackson" -this is her song, not the Johnny Cash song; "Changed the Locks" - this is a classic!; "Passinate Kisses"; and a very awesome extended performance of "Joy". The performance of "Joy" is just outstanding, its difficult to describe just how good it is.

This is a 5 star concert dvd, well worth having. Its a classic that will stand the test of time. I highly recommend it.