After recording for Folkways in 1979, Lucinda Williams spent several years playing shows around LA before finding commercial success. At one point, Williams was close to cutting a deal with Columbia, but “Ron Oberman and his colleagues in the L.A. offices of Columbia listened to [my demo] and… said it was too country for rock. They sent the tape to the Columbia executives in Nashville, who said it was too rock for country… I’ve always enjoyed saying that it took a British punk label to give me a chance to make a commercial record.” Punk or not, it was Rough Trade who finally took on Lucinda, and allowed her to self-produce and record the album organically in country engineer Dusty Wakeman’s Venice Beach studio.

I already loved Lucinda Williams by the time I finally heard this record, but it seems like a great entry point to the uninitiated. It’s a remarkably consistent set, and the songs are poppier than her breakout Car Wheels On a Gravel Road (1998), as heard right away on “I Just Wanted to See You So Bad”. This song dates back to the 70s, and is about the poet Bruce Weigl, who Williams “had a deep crush on” in 79-80.

Where Williams really shines is on the tender tracks. “Am I Too Blue” is a moving exercise in vulnerability, and “Crescent City” mentions Mandeville, a mental hospital outside of New Orleans where her mother spent time.

The production on here is somewhat dated, as it naturally has an 80s country feel that may not appeal to everyone. Yet I bet it would sound fantastic on cassette, and the album is all-killer, no-filler regardless of medium.

Listen to Lucinda Williams here.

Quotes excerpted from Lucinda’s great memoir, Don’t Tell Anyone the Secrets I Told You.