Lucinda Williams Southern Soul: From Memphis To Muscle Shoals & More LP

TAS Rated 4/5 Music, 4/5 Sonics in the December 2021 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

Lu's Jukebox is a six-volume series of mostly full-band performances recorded live at Ray Kennedy's Room & Board Studio in Nashville, TN. Each volume features a themed set of songs by other artists curated by the multi-Grammy award winner, Lucinda Williams. The series aired as ticketed shows through Mandolin in late 2020 with a portion of ticket sales benefitting independent music venues struggling to get by through the pandemic.

Like thousands of artists, Williams cut her teeth and developed her craft by playing in small, medium and large clubs throughout the country, and the world. These venues are vital to the development of artists and their music. Williams has never forgotten her roots, and often performs special shows in some of her favorite halls.

While Lu's Jukebox Volume 1 featured songs from Tom Petty's celebrated career, Volume 2 focuses on the southern soul genre, including covers of "Ode To Billy Joe", "I Can't Stand The Rain", "Rainy Night In Georgia", "Take Me To The River" and Lucinda's own "Still I Long For Your Kiss".

Williams delivers just like a great soul vocalist while also sounding exactly like herself. She's powerful and passionate without overplaying, she's emotionally eloquent in honest, thoughtful ways, and she often sounds like she's still finding new angles in these songs while she sings, filling her vocals with a sense of adventure and exploration that adds to their power.

Williams' vocals are laid back, as she languishes on the lyrics of some of the greatest songs in the 60s-soul canon. But she finally unleashes guitarists Stuart Mathis and Joshua Grange for a blistering, show-stopping cover of Al Green's 'Take Me To The River.' This is essential stuff for fans of the legendary Southern soul that flowed out of Tennessee and Alabama.