Country music forms a large portion of my musical diet, while I lean towards the drinking, cheating and dying end of the spectrum, I like a fairly broad swathe of the music. One of the things I really like about country is the upfront emotion that is so typical of it, the melodrama is clear and present. The other thing I really like is that there are a lot of female singers with very distinctive voices, not simply nice or great singing voices, they have voices that are resonant with character and feeling.
Lucinda Williams has such a voice, it is deep and drawling and luxuriates in the songs she is singing, they are given an extra dimension by her delivery. Tears of Joy could be the most sarcastic song I have ever heard except that the way it is sung wrings out the deep sadness that lies in it. On the other hand Honey Bee is is a fast moving shout of pleasure.
The standout song of the collection is Jailhouse Tears, a duet with Elvis Costello that just breaks my heart every time. This is a fresh and moving collection of songs sung with care and passion. A musical pleasure.
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