I went to a great farm folk fest this summer, HollerFest, the only one in lower Michigan. I heard a song in a cabin there that slayed me. I’ve since learned that it was “Fruits of My Labor,” a deep-swinging Lucinda Williams rough, tough sensuously biblical soulfest. What I saw in that cabin was as good as anything, but you can see a bit of what I mean at:
(link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h8edaYFbPI&feature=related)
And, showing that feather-boa NYC likes edgy country, too:
(link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=apr47BDknRU&feature=related, more soberly at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcVSQoG-lSw.)
It’s from her album “World Without Tears.” Check it out at: www.amazon.com/World-Without-Tears-Lucinda-Williams/dp/B000089RV5/jeffpottersoutyo
The performance I saw is on video and just might surface on YouTube one of these days for HollerFest 2009. Band: “Black Train,” Saturday, 1pm, at the Cabin—if they’re tagging the videos.
Vicky sang like an angel from down the gravel road. Her rhythm guitar was swinging so hard she was almost hitting the floor with the neck. And Kevin Lentz played an acoustic bass (like a big, wooden guitar). I think the audience had a hard time staying seated due to the hard-rolling hook of this great song.
If you don’t know Lucinda already: she’s tougher than you are. She’s kinda like a Janis Joplin gone barbwire hard knocks country. A dark genius Texas singersongwriter. A bit Sheryl Crowey without the cute or pop, just pure dirt’n’booze poetry.
