Album review: Lucinda Williams’ “The Ghosts of Highway 20”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGuwoaoxUYQ

Album review: Lucinda Williams’ “The Ghosts of Highway 20”

Get ready to take a ride into the Deep South! Lucinda Williams is your travel agent, and she is taking us on a soulful, bluesy journey down to the depths of her Louisiana roots. At the age of 63, Williams can still belt out songs that evoke visions of moss hanging off of trees and slow-moving boats on lazy rivers. She also reaches out to history, giving us “The Ghosts of Highway 20,” co-produced with Tom Overby, as the 13th album release of her career.

Highway 20 cuts across the northern part of Louisiana. The “ghosts” Williams references are the characters who have traveled and lived along that path. Williams takes a little of each ghost and puts it into the soundtrack of this journey. Williams utilizes pedal-steel player Greg Leisz to give a certain twang to the music. And to 12 original songs, she adds covers of Bruce Springsteen’s “The Factory” and Woody Guthrie’s “House of Earth.”

Though mostly known for her folk and country songs and styles, “The Ghosts of Highway 20” is a more blues-influenced album with guitar styles that bring to mind Muddy Waters and B.B. King. She has that raw, edgy sound in her voice that tells of her musical upbringing, and her lyrics read like poems written from the heart.

My favorite cut on this album is “Doors of Heaven.” If a gospel song can be called “bluesy,” then this song would wear that label well. With lines like, “I’m gonna walk in the glory / And tell everyone my story,” you almost want to jump up, clap, and shout “Amen!” You can almost hear her smile as she sings, “Let me in.”

“Bitter Memory” has a more upbeat, country feel to it, and you almost feel that she is nursing a glass of whiskey as she pleads, “Go away, bitter memory,” to an unknown bartender. “Place In My Heart” slows things down just a bit and lightens up the tone, making this more of a sweet lullaby to tuck yourself in bed with.

“Faith & Grace” is the longest cut on this album at almost 13 minutes long, but it has a very easy feel with lighter steel tones to give it that “slow-dancing in the living room” mood. There is also less grit in the vocals — she almost purrs into the microphone for this one.

If you are ready to take this musical ride with Lucinda Williams, you will not be disappointed. The Deep South awaits, and your ears as well as your soul will enjoy every twang, grit, and bluesy note of this album!