LUCINDA WILLIAMS - Sweetheart of the Rodeo

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LUCINDA WILLIAMS - Sweetheart of the Rodeo

By Scott Baker

Photos by Scott Baker

Gary Louris of the Jayhawks

Lucinda Williams

It  couldn't have been any sweeter.

Pairing two complimentary musical acts in this day and age seems to be as
much a part of the past as the off the wall concert billings of the '60s.
Not  so on Oct. 14, when Lucinda Williams, current singer-songwriter of the
year for  the past few years, and her label mates The Jayhawks,
roots-rockers of  recognition in their own right, teamed up at The Michigan
Theater in  Ann Arbor for a tour  stop.

The  Jayhawks, who have been peddling wonderful singer-songwriter meets
alt-country  rock material since the mid-'80s have found their sound again
with the recent  release of Rainy Day Music (American/Lost  Highway).

Gone is the brilliant rock/psychedelic  jangles of their past few releases
and in return the band has picked up  acoustic guitars again. With a sound
welcoming back their original fans, the  live Jayhawks provided something
for everyone.

Gary  Louris' amazing voice and vocal harmonies with drummer Tim O'Reagan
breathed new  life into the old material that Louris and ex-Jayhawker Mark
Olson used to be  renowned for.

O'Reagan helped load the new record and parts of the live show with
standards of his own. Playing a majority of Rainy Day Music, The Jayhawks
received a grand ovation from a Williams-heavy audience.
Songs  Stumbling Through The Dark, Tailspin, Save It For A Rainy Day,  and
One  Man's Problem, were just a few of the new offerings the band put next
to their  classics. Blue, Waiting For The Sun,  and Clouds were older
highlights. A  cover of Neil Young's Buffalo Springfield tune Expecting To
Fly was a pure  gem and a well-thought selection.

Guitarist Stephen McCarthy and bassist Marc Perlman were a tight backbone
to Louris and O'Reagan's vocal and playing gymnastics.

Quoted as "America's  best songwriter" by Time Magazine, Williams kicked
off her night with a solo  acoustic rendition of her song Passionate Kisses
which Mary Chapin-Carpenter  made famous in the '90s. This was a night for
the fans, as Williams took  requests and challenged her band to remember
songs they hadn't played in  ages.

Tackling much off her recent release World Without Tears  (Lost Highway),
Williams  embarked on bits from Grammy Award winning last two releases
Essence and Car  Wheels On A Gravel Road.

Tracks like Right On Time  Bus To Baton Rouge, Those Three Days, Still I
Long For Your Kiss, Joy, and Pineola were only a smattering of  what she
brought to the table in her set which lasted over two  hours.

With  her gravely voice sounding mint, Williams gave props to the venue and
seemed  overwhelmed by the amazing sound she got on stage. She wished every
night could  be played at a venue like the Michigan Theater.
Reel  Live Bleeding Fingers was a rock and roll outlet that gave her band
room to  stretch out and showcase its many sides of the music.

The  intensity of her set came to a peak when she invited Louris out to
duet with her  on Essence about two thirds of the way through her set.
Louris also joined in  for the show-closer, a fan requested classic, Sweet
Old  World.

William's fans were in disbelief as the sounds of "I can't believe she
played this song" were heard everywhere you went in the near sold-out
venue.

Michigan singer-songwriter  Gil Clark, has been to every Williams show in
the state over the past few years noted, "I have never heard her do a show
like that. She played a lot of tunes  I have never heard live before."

Making for the most well rounded tour for singer-songwriter roots rock,  it
doesn't get much better than that. Watch for the deserving Grammy
nominations  next year.

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