Review by LarryG
2 stars out of 4
Essence isn't an awful record but after the brilliance of Lucinda
Williams previous work, especially 1998's Car Wheels On A Gravel Road,
it is disappointing. Both musically and lyrically, Essence lacks Car
Wheels' vibrance.
Williams apparently tried to simplify her writing to its essence
for her new CD. Unfortunately, she's removed a lot of the detail which
makes her songs interesting. Williams' new approach only really works
on a couple songs. Lonely Girls repeats a very limited number of
images. The stark musical setting, with very quiet guitar, organ and
drums, combined with Williams' empathetic vocal, fills in the gaps so
in the end Williams doesn't have to say more than "I oughta know about
lonely girls." Out Of Touch is very quiet but its musical restraint
matches the sad, simple story of a couple who awkwardly try to be
civil to each other after a breakup.
But on most of Essence, the lack of particularity and any rock and
roll juice limit the songs' appeal. Williams and her band do a good
job of creating a sexy edge for Williams' tale of a love like a drug
on Essence's title track, holding back and going nice and slow. But
Williams' Dr. Seuss style rhymes("I am waiting her for more, I am
waiting by your door", "I am waiting in my car, I am waiting at this
bar") are dopey and I often find the song more draggy than sultry.
Essence doesn't match up to the moody masterpieces like Change The
Locks and Metal Firecracker it resembles. I Envy The Wind is sweetly
sincere but it's also kind of boring. Williams slowly goes through all
the elements she envies for being able to contact her love. Steal Your
Love sounds familiar and it's also repetitious. Williams just keeps
stating her determination to steal his love. So many songs on Essence
are colorless that it's hard to keep paying attention. Gloomy,
minimal instrumentation and Williams' passive, affectless vocal are
appropriate for Blue, a song about being depressed, but the music
certainly doesn't invite the listener. Are You Down is muffled, but
the guitars and Reese Wynans' organ still create a good bluesy feel.
Are You Down starts with a decent image("can't put the rain back in
the sky") but doesn't go much beyond that, repeating the same few
ideas then a nasty kiss off: "nothin' will make me take you back, are
you down babe, down with that?" Reason To Cry is a pretty good, very
restrained traditional country song that covers the same basic lyrical
territory as Out Of Touch. Ramsey's guitar playing isn't as good as
Gurf Morlix' rich work on Williams' previous records but he does
pretty well with spare arrangements that don't give much opportunity
to shine. Bus To Baton Rouge, about taking a trip back to a house
from long ago in an attempt to "be free from these chains inside
hidden deep down in my soul", is a pretty nice ballad that reminds me
of Sweet Old World's Little Angel, Little Brother. But it's very slow
and loses its appeal over its six minutes. Essence ends with Broken
Butterflies, another very subdued song, is most notable for its
somewhat wacky biblical allusions. Williams accuses a guy of being
"like Pilate in his self righteousness" and wonders if he will "bleed
the way Christ did."
Amid the drab songs Get Right With God, the only uptempo song on
Essence, is especially welcome. Get Right With God, about being
willing to make severe sacrifices to get to heaven, is a shuffle like
Car Wheels' Can't Let Go and the best showcase for Essence's guitar
players Ramsey and Charlie Sexton, who play good, grungy slide guitar,
and veteran drummer Jim Keltner, whose gifts are woefully underused on
the CD.
Essence is an OK CD that hardly has any bite. It generally works
as pleasant background music and has some moments of beauty but the
music is often so slow and quiet that it's just boring and lifeless.
Hopefully, Essence is just a one time experiment for Williams or the
result of a sad time or post breakup depression that's passed and
Williams will soon return to making the evocative, spirited music of
her previous records.
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