Much to the relief of some of my regular readers, I’ll be closing out my track-by-track look at Lucinda Williams’ The Ghosts of Highway 20 this week, featuring the album’s final four songs.
I understand the criticism of those who find the songs too slow, or Williams’ vocals too slurred, but I don’t share it. Williams’ voice is like Bob Dylan’s in that it’s not technically great but it’s exactly the right instrument for her songs.
It’s been five years since Fountains of Wayne’s last album release, Sky Full of Holes.
Quick visits to the band’s website, social media accounts and Wikipedia page reveal very little information about their current activities. They don’t appear to have split up but neither are they touring or recording. I hope they haven’t split up, because these guys are among the bets pop songwriters going.
Here’s a nice song from John Legend’s 2004 album, Get Lifted. I can’t say much more about it than that.
I like Legend well enough through his many talk show and award show appearances, but I’ve never taken the time to listen to any of his music.
I mentioned that the title track of Lucinda Williams’ The Ghosts of Highway 20 reminded me of Bruce Springsteen. Well, here she drives that connection home by covering a Springsteen tune.
‘Factory’ is a song from Springsteen’s 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town, and its story of a man who toils away at a factory fits in nicely with the rustic sadness of the rest of this album. Williams recorded the track as a tribute to her father-in-law, who held a job a lot like the one described in the song.
Disc Two, Song Two. After the epic title track, Lucinda offers up a little country blues ditty about a busted love affair. It seems Disc Two is definitely more upbeat than Disc One (musically, anyway… I don’t think we’re getting any lyrically upbeat songs on this album!).
This is the most fun song on the record so far, and another fine showcase of the guitar work by Bill Frisell and Greg Leisz.
Meet Me In Montauk 