Customer Reviews

Sweet Relief: A Benefit For Victoria Williams

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Williams' songs are idiosyncratic, to say the least, which means that some of the artists here fail to connect with the material. Check out Lou Reed and Giant Sand's ponderous selections for the ugly details. However, there are some fine things, too, not the least of which is Maria McKee's barn-burning title track, the only cover to actually improve upon the original. Elsewhere, Lucinda Williams brings the right amount of laconic yearning to "Main Road," Pearl jam does a bang-up job of "Crazy Mary" and Michelle Shocked proves herself a top-flight gospel singer on "Holy Spirit." Those who find Willaims' material loopy, self-conscious and/or rambling will find nothing here to change their minds, but its all for a good cause, and there's plenty to enjoy.

Summer of Drugs/Soul Asylum
Probably the darkest song Victoria has ever recorded. Soul Asylum does a good job. Almost as good as the original.

Main Road/Lucinda Williams
Victoria's version is kind of hard to crack, somewhat overproduced. Lucinda does a great job finding the "song" and bringing it into sharp relief. One of the CDs highlights.

Crazy Mary/Pearl Jam
Not a Pearl Jam fan, but this is the definitive version of Crazy Mary. I sure don't miss the Van Dyke Parks string arrangement that bothers me on the original. Eddie Vedder sounds awesome.

Merry Go Round/Buffalo Tom
A delightful, punky version of the original.

Weeds/Michael Penn
Penn does an admirable job. Instrumentation/arrangement is tops, but this is one of those songs that only Victoria can really bring to life.

Animal Wild/Shudder to Think
Indie guitar rock version of one of Vic's lesser-songs sounds like it was written just for them.

Tarbelly and Featherfoot/Lou Reed
I know Lou Reed is a big Victoria fan, but this sounds like a reject from Songs for Drella. Doesn't come close to capturing the wonder of this classic Victoria song.

Opelousas/Maria McKee
McKee sure has a big voice and this is a big production. An interpretation that doesn't stray to far from the original

This Moment/Matthew Sweet
Too bad this has yet to appear on a Victoria studio album. Very nice.

Frying Pan/Evan Dando
Another Victoria classic. I had the fortune of hearing Vic's version first. Some songs just shouldn't be slowed down.

Lights/Jayhawks
Another Victoria song that is kind of hard to grasp. But the Jayhawks turn it into a memorable, twangy treat. Another highlight. The best cut on the CD.

Why Look At The Moon/Waterboys
Fluffy, jaunty, entertaining version, played like an Irish jig or something by the Waterboys.

Big Fish/Giant Sand
Unrecognizable in the hands of Howe and friends. Not very listenable either. For much better Giant Sand/Victoria collaborations, check out Ramp, by Giant Sand.

Holy Spirit/Michelle Shocked
Shocked's dramatic bellowing doesn't really do this song justice. She tries hard. It's okay, I guess.

This album is fantastic , The pearl Jam Hit Crazy Mary is a classic and is not available on any other recording , it is worth the money for that song alone.

Pearl Jam song is one of my favorites "Crazy Mary". Ive sang that one before a few times ;) Lucinda Williams song is good on this album and a few of the others. This album is for Victoria Williams not a commercial production for profit and you get alot for the money.

This disc was released as a benefit for "Victoria Williams", but I feel like I've benefited from it myself as well. Her songs are all good, but the group of musicians covering them is even better. "Pearl Jam" probably got the most people to buy this, however I like the songs done by "Soul Asylum", "Evan Dando", "Waterboys", and "Lucinda Williams" just as much. "The Jayhawks" and "Matthew Sweet" do a good job too. Basically it's just a really good bunch of music. Also, there's currently 121 used copies on here for sale, so it shouldn't be too hard to come by.

I LOVE Lucinda Williams singing about "Little redbud, off the main road, lucky little girl." Don't know if I can exactly explain why. The melody and lyrics are fey, slightly off-kilter, but in a good way. Lucinda's voice is a perfect match with the tone of the song. Also I love the song about wild-eyed, crazy Mary. The lyrics are beautiful and perceptive, and the tune is so sad. The place associations (Louisiana) resonate with me in a specific way, since I lived in Lafayette and Baton Rouge for a short time and I have many enigmatic memories of that place. On the upside, there are 4-5 songs on this CD I cannot do without, but the rest I can take or let go.

I first bought this album when it was originally released because it had Pearl Jam on it and I was in love with the whole album actually. At the time, all that I knew was that it was a benefit album. However I now know what the benefit was for.. Ms. Williams was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and the benefit was to help pay her medical bills. In 1999 I was diagnosed with MS myself and this album has come to mean more to me. Knowing that Eddie Vedder's father also has MS just adds a little more something special to this album for me.

If you like good music, buy this album.

I bought this CD shortly after it was released. My main reason was for Crazy Mary, but, I soon found out that I love every song on this CD and I still listen to it. I'm not going to sit here and pick apart every song, I'm just going to say that EVERY song is worthy of its place here. This CD is one of my top 10 favorites of all time, and I'm a big music fan. I would love to thank everyone responsible for this CD and say you've created a masterpiece!

OMG! Very nice combination of artists. Soul Asylum, Pearl Jam,...!!! When I was listening this album I could almost feel that mug and trees atmospheer from Louisiana!! I love that album.

This CD is a great collection of Victoria Williams songs by excellent artists: Lucinda Williams, Soul Asylum, Eddie Vedder, and Maria McKee, with a little Adam Duritz and Victoria Williams herself pitching in on back-up. My personal favorite is Opelousas, a rocking version that makes you want to roll down the windows and sing along. Check it out of you're a fan of ecclectic artists and bands singing for a good cause.