Car Wheels On A Gravel Road

Forgettable country(ish) music from a woman who sounds a bit like Sheryl Crow, but if she's had too many glasses of prosecco. She upped the slurring on Drunken Angel which was a choice. I found the Wikipedia page about making the album more interesting than the album itself. I think the only song I really could say I actively liked was Can't Let Go... which it turns out, she didn't write. Also I do enjoy an accordion. 2/5

This is a real nice time. Really mellow and easy-listening, but musically accomplished as well. It's slightly melancholic, with some nice minor keys. There's shades of Sheryl Crow here. I really like her voice, she sings well and it's authentic. I have no idea what the criticisms are there. If she were laying down power vocals on top of this, or even softly sweet country vocals it'd be awful. 3.5 rounded down.

Great songs but every time I'd start really enjoying the album, I'd get thrown off by her singing a note flat. I can't tell if it's a deliberate singing style, but I hate it.

#230 I rather enjoyed parts of this one, other parts were okay. I haven't listened to much Lucinda. At points she reminded me of Sheryl Crow, and just overall had an Americana type sound through it all. Some of this would not feel out of place in the sessions for Tom Petty's Wildflowers era songs. Biggest Hit - Can't Let Go Biggest Miss - Concrete And Barbed Wire Hidden Gem - I Lost It

It's not bad but two songs too long

Thoughts before listening: One of the most important albums of all time in the alt-country subgenre. However, despite being a massive fan of many artists in that world (Drive By Truckers, Wilco, Jason Isbell, etc), I don't know this album all that well. I'm sure songs have shown up on playlists, and perhaps I have listened previously, but I certainly have never owned this album. I look forward to listening today. Review: I bet this gets bad reviews on here for being "country". This goes well beyond any sort of standard definition of country music. Sure Lucinda has a southern accent to her vocals, but this is confessional singer-songwriter rock music. Its also very good. I definitely recognize more of this album than I thought I would. The title track, "Drunken Angel". "Concrete and Barbed Wire", "Can't Let Go", and others are all strong tracks that are important for a certain subset if the country genre let alone within Lucinda's catalog. It's important to note though that while Lucinda was a kindred spirit with the alt country bunch, this is more gritty bluesy country rock ala Steve Earle than punk band with a twang like Uncle Tupelo. 4-stars

Not a bad little record. Pretty fun and energetic country album. Some bluesy stuff and some rock type stuff. A little low ans slow singer songwriter stuff. Its good but im not blown away. Thats my main thing. Its good but not that amazing. I had a good time but I didnt really save anything or really have any reason to come back. Good enough for the runtime. But im probably not giving it any more time. Not bad though. Enjoyable for sure

なんか思ってたよりよくて、あんまりロックだと思わなかった。チル•ミュージック的な雰囲気を感じました。 もしかすると、飛行機の中で聴く音楽は全部よく聞こえるのかもしれない。

Favorite track(s): Right in Time, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Can't Let Go, I Lost It, Joy

Some great songs some absolutely awful

Enjoyed that, Can't Let Go is great (3.5)

Not bad at all

I wasn’t expecting much from this but was very pleasantly surprised. Really good modern “real” country, rather than the horrid “grr, I’m right-wing and have a truck, and believe in small-town ‘Murica despite living in Chicago!” It does run out of steam a little, but still a really enjoyable album.

Lucinda Williams does a hell if a good impression of Sheryl Crow after 20 years on the country circuit Down the Louisiana highway Across Lake Pontchartrain is a singer with a voice of concrete and barbed wire Tight country from a fierce woman

Marketing departments making their commercials bouta go crazy for this

One of my favorite more modern country albums. I love Lucinda Williams here southern sounding accent on here. The songs have nice meaning to them and are all pleasant to listen to. It's well made and well paced too. These songs keep getting stuck in my head and it's always a different song that does rounds in my head. Quality songwriter.

++: Can't Let Go, Joy, Jackson +: 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten, Concrete and Barbed Wire, Still I Long for Your Kiss +-: Right in Time, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, I Lost It, Metal Firecracker -: Drunken Angel, Lake Charles --: Greenville 4,1/10

Meh. Boring and felt unimaginative. Like drinking soda or any fizzy drink that has been opened and left there for days.

Oh Lucinda. If someone can live in the nostalgic delivery of your voice… sign me up - in all songs but “Joy”

This is kinda awful country music. Stereotypical 'my dog died, my husband left me' music

Wow I am blown away. She should do a song with Social Distortion

This was the album I had been waiting for. It had been announced in *Rolling Stone* two years earlier but was repeatedly delayed. Lucinda Williams had released *Sweet Old World* in 1992. A new musical genre was emerging—one that would later be called Americana, or alternative country. There were already a few great albums in this genre, even though it didn't yet have a name. But I thought it was incredibly cool. The Walkabouts had released a milestone album, *Satisfied Mind*, in 1993. Giant Sand, led by Howe Gelb, had been releasing striking records since the mid-80s. Uncle Tupelo—the band that preceded Wilco—was a hot act on the scene, and Whiskeytown also captivated me with a young Ryan Adams and the wonderful Caitlin Cary on violin and co-lead vocals. The Cowboy Junkies had already released *The Trinity Session* back in 1989. Something truly significant was taking shape. Steve Earle was emerging as an alternative country star who refused to play by Nashville’s rules. Finally, *Car Wheels on a Gravel Road* was released in 1998—but only after Lucinda had scrapped a fully produced version of the album. She hadn't been satisfied with it; it didn't sound the way she had envisioned. Then came the new approach: recording everything live in the studio. And voilà—it worked. The record became a huge success. It brings together so many of her greatest hits, and I love it. It was a real treat to listen to it again today.

There’s not much to dislike about this album. Country/Blues flavor but rough around the edges. The song writing feels real and the performances are great. Tempted to give this 5 stars but there was 1 song I didn’t like (Joy). This is damn good though.

New to me. I didn't actively dislike it, good in parts but it was about 3 songs too long.

This is like a slightly better version of the Alanis Morrisette album we had to listen to. Slightly.

Enjoyed this for a while but it tailed off a little. Just about scrapes a 3

New to me, pleasant enough but not an album I enjoyed, and one that got less enjoyable the longer it lasted. One star, but in the upper reaches of the one stars. Tom.

3/6

Very nice classic country

сука пожалуйста хватит давать мне кантри

Garbage album title lmao You know an album is gonna be fun, exciting and original when the wikipedia page states "Love and heartbreak are important lyrical themes on Car Wheels on a Gravel Road." with no further explanation. It pisses me off that this shitty album has a really good drummer. The sterilized production is about as exciting as a white, empty wall. The endlessly repeated hooks are slowly eroding my mind. Generic, boring music led by a singer-songwriter who's not particularly good at either.

This felt, okay. Nothing great. Bit hard to dislike or overly like. Sounds fine. Nothing impactful I could find Strong 2, weak 3

A fine production. They are trying some stuff with a song like Joy that doesn't always work. Not much to complain about. Not for me personally, but I could see myself recommending it to someone that is into a more new country vibe.

Fairly harmless, unremarkable singer-songwriter music with a potent country twang to the vocals. Yeah, that's never gonna be a winning formula for me.

3/5

Okay, but kinda dated, a little long, and SUPER generic.

I will admit that I did go off and do something else before the end of the album. When I returned I had to check whether it was a different track. It was, but in name only. Key things that I get from this: - Critics, particularly male ones, have an irrational love of songwriters who tell tales of small time America; driving on lonely roads, falling in and out of love with some guy/gal, motels, going to places with names like LaFayette… This love obscures any ability for them to appraise the actual music (see also: Bob Dylan) - The drums on this album sounded like the 16-beat drum beat on the Casio keyboard in a music lesson - One delivered this wonderful appraisal: “[The album] single-handedly marries the genres of traditional and alternative country, roots rock and American folk music so smoothly, it almost feels like magic” They are crediting her for blending three genres that are essentially the same thing as if this is some miraculous achievement… If she had blended country with drum and bass and made it seem effortless, fair enough, but really… I am genuinely baffled by the critical live for this album. Not for me, Clive.

The bad kind of country. Soulless, derivative, boring and a cut and paste of the vast majority of Nashville crap that is spewed out. Perhaps it’s unfair on Williams but this really did plod by at a terrible pace, and at no point is anything novel attempted here. I cannot fathom why on earth this would be on a must listen list when you could insert a whole tranche of other artists that do a similar job and would be similarly forgotten. That her earlier albums appear to be equally bland, I’ve no idea why a late stage career offering such as this would make it on here.

no es mi tipo por ahora

I don't get it. All these 'must listen to' country albums sound the same. There's nothing new or groundbreaking here, it's the same usual dirge as the rest of it. What am I missing?

I hadn't ever heard of Lucinda Williams or her album, but I'm glad I know her now and can see I was missing out. This is why I like this website, it shows me albums that I may never would have heard. A very pleasant country record, kinda akin to Sheryl Crow in it's stylings. A rock edge on top of banging songs made this a very awesome listening experience. Fav Songs Can't Let Go Car Wheels On A Gravel Road Jackson Is it Top 1001 Worthy (is it essential)? Yes. An amazing album made by a legendary woman in country. A worthwhile listen if you have the time; even if you don't enjoy country

i enjoyed this because it basically just sounds like sheryl crow. not to pit two #women against each other but i think this is less compelling to me because it leans more towards country than rock and sheryl makes some more interesting/inventive production choices imo so i don't really see myself reaching for this over the other. i realize this is later in her career (her fifth album) so i wonder if her earlier music was actually an influence on sheryl, and i also felt like i heard pre-kt tunstall vibes (like in "Can't Let Go") so i might be suffering from Young Person Not Knowing Anything Disease by implying that this might be derivative of the music I like when in fact this was the original influence. So I'll stop talking out of my ass and do some researching. but regardless... this is still very lovely and i enjoyed it a lot and some of these songs will find their way into my summer evening playlist. Fav tracks: Car Wheels On A Gravel Road; Can't Let Go; Metal Firecracker; Joy

Some really good songs but over all it was a 3.

This was my first time probably listening to any significant amount of Lucinda Williams. It's not really necessarily for me but after a series of particularly terrible quality recordings on this list I was really refreshed by the simpler straightforward production. I liked how dry the vocals were mixed and I think this would be almost a reference for how to record this kind of music.

Quite boring bluesy country

Songs about lost loves, heartbreak, sad angels, dusty roads, and worn out guitars all woven into a wistful tapestry of the deep south make for a typical alt country album. Lucinda’s twangy, gritty vocals (and a backstory with lots of turmoil plus a Grammy and three years in the making) get Car Wheels on The 1001 Must Hear List. Best song is Can’t Let Go, which unfortunately was not written by Williams. (1.89*s) This album is a great example of why I’m still not into country music. And I’m also surprised anyone would go looking for joy in Memphis.

Not a bad album. Williams got a Sheryl Crow doing country sound. Not much else I can say about this and would never have hit my ears without the list. A one-timer for me at 1.97 stars.

Wasn't familiar with the genre Americana but it seems like a pretty good descriptor for this album. It's equal parts alternative, country, rock and pop but hits a lot of the tropes you would expect from a southern comfort album. References to growing up in the south, lost loves and a longing for life back home are abundant all the way through. I can appreciate it for what it is even if it likely isn't something I would have listened to on my own. I didn't know Lucinda Williams previously but it seems like she had some popularity in the 90's. I can see how she would have gained a following as she seems like a relatively accessible, safe southern belle with ties to all parts of the workingman/woman's south. The vocals are a little lethargic at times but the music for the most part is down the middle enough to appeal a pretty wide range. Car Wheels On A Gravel Road is a pretty cliched example of this in all the right ways. It was an OK album though a little played out by the end of it. Still better than plenty of other entries. 2.57 stars

I really tried but I just don't like country.

Loved it! Is my Gen Z showing if I say my introduction to Williams was Big Thief? Either way, they’re playing in the same lane, gorgeous voices with interesting, folksy guitars, and poetic songwriting that moves between the real and the abstract seamlessly.

can't stand this dawg. i feel at least sympathetic to country music with heart but this is completely devoid of it. wheels on gravel, nails on chalkboard

Historically Important but Personally Unrelatable I know this album is allegedly 'historically important.' But I'm not from the American South, so to me this sounds rather generic. The problem is simple: I can't relate to much of this. I was raised in a middle-class Russian family in the middle of Texas. I never woke up to the smell of coffee, eggs, and bacon. We had tea and kasha and blini. All the little sayings, the gravel road imagery... none of it means anything to me. I guess I can pick out a good few of the cities she references though. For me to like Folk/Country, I would need to listen to Russian folk/blues (which I do really like). That's why I can't really enjoy this genre. The songwriting is what she's known for (I think), and she does have talent here. There are some real poetic pictures of the Southern lower-middle-class environment. The cajun accent is pretty cool. But the songs themselves? Standard chord structures and rhythms. Nothing that really grabs me. "Right in Time" – Actually pretty good stuff. Very heartfelt. Pretty sparse musically and has a blues twang. I like her voice, it's raspy and real and sounds like somebody's aunt. The chorus is good. This isn't my genre of music at all but I wouldn't be mad at someone for putting this on. 6-7/10. "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" – The lyrics illustrate Southern life. To me it doesn't mean much. I've only heard car wheels gravel when we would go camping. Pretty basic sound. Lots of cymbal lol. Kind of bright. 3-4/10. "2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten" – Pretty twangy sound. I wonder what it's like in a real juke joint. Very mid-tempo. Kind of groovy. Nothing really stuck. Very lazy song (not in a negative way necessarily). 3/10. "Drunken Angel" – I actually like the chorus and the melody. This one is a bit more rock-ish. I like the imagery here and the song is emotionally complex. It's relatable to loving someone good but broken. Maybe a dad. The guitars have a good bit of edge. Pretty heavy stuff. 4/10. "Concrete and Barbed Wire" – God damn if this is not the anthem for shitty American cities. Almost every city in the US feels this way. Much more bluesy and melancholic sparse track. I also hear an accordion which is cool. Kind of waltzy. (I understand this was written in reference to prison but to me it can also be a metaphor for most southern cities) 3-4/10. "Lake Charles" – Pretty bluesy, less waltzy and more western. It's fun being able to recognize all of these cities having been to half of them. The accordion is fun. Chill ah song. 3-4/10. "Can't Let Go" – This one is actually pretty fucking fun. I really like the faster tempo — way more my rhythm. It sounds like something from Borderlands. 7-8/10. If I had a few more listens I might even be compelled to add to my playlist. "I Lost It" – Back to the slower tempo ughhhh. Cool imagery: "Are you heavy enough to make me stay, I feel like I may blow away." Very rock song. 3/10. "Metal Firecracker" – The songs are starting to feel samey. At this point in the album it's getting a bit exhausting. 2-3/10. "Greenville" – Much slower. Sounds like a pretty shitty guy. Yeah sad. 3/10. "Still I Long For Your Kiss" – Rock and blues mix. Guitar solo is whatever. I think I just had my fill of country. 2-3/10. "Joy" – Sounds kind of Cowboy Bebop-ey. I like the guitar solo a lot more here. Very simple song lyrically, kinda makes it more memorable and powerful? 3-4/10. "Jackson" – Very slow. Kind of pretty. This album had a lot of themes of singing about specific Southern cities. Makes it pretty regional and not the strongest choice imo. 2-3/10. This album has some clear highlights: "Right in Time" is a strong opener, "Drunken Angel" has emotional complexity, and "Can't Let Go" is genuinely fun. But the rest blurs together. I know this is historically important, but because I'm not from the 90s this sounds rather generic to me. There were some songs that I wouldn't be mad at hearing. Otherwise, very forgettable. Rating: 4.5/10

Lucinda Williams gives us an album that I wouldn't consider full on Country, the elements are definitely there but there's a Pop shine to Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. Nashville production style can get a bit glossy for my personal taste but Lucinda's wit and songwriting ability on display do a lot on this record to overlook all of that. These songs are so earnest, they come through so vivid, you can almost smell the coffee and hear the crunch of the gravel beneath the car tires on the title track. Drunken Angel, Lake Charles and Joy all stand out in addition to the title track. For an album that swings into the Adult Contemporary lane, I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this. 4 stars

(8.1) Got to see her perform some of these songs live last week, was pretty cool to see

I really don’t like most country or country-ish music, but this is something else. The music is gritty and funky (and far less twangy than most country) and every song paints a picture. The best songs are mostly in the first half, and it does lose a little steam in the second. 3.5/5

Yeah. Good. Nice. Some cool modern country songwriting I guess. Her voice and technique and phrasing are pretty cool. I'm not personally in love with the pop country production.

Very Sheryl Crow-like.

Too boring and too country for me.

As Country goes, this was rather tolerable.

That accent is ... uhhh... something. Who the hell is "Barb Dwyer"? Hmmm "Can't Let Go" sounds familiar. My childhood best friend's parents listened to country exclusively so I have to assume I heard it in their car at some point. That's the extent of my exposure to modern country - whatever was playing on my friend's parents' radio. This might be good for all I know - but I don't know country (or care too much to) so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Anyway, not awful but not something I want to listen to again.

it was all right

This was a really solid country album with some interesting rock influence. I think the songs here are really high quality, and it took a while, but I did decide I like Lucinda Williams' unique voice. I don't have a ton to say unfortunately, but I liked what was here, and I'm reasonably glad I heard this.

It’s like if you took Sheryl Crow but made her fully country and removed the adult contemporary vibes and humor from her. Hardly terrible, but not exactly good- it’s a cry in your beer country album that I’m sure resonated with many in the lateteen nineties, celebrating and bemoaning the country life: alcoholics, jail, slow life, tender love, and pastoral scapes. ⭐️⭐️.5

The reviews on this site crack me up. How you can listen to Lucinda Williams and suggest that a woman born in Lake Charles, Louisiana "sounds like she's faking a southern accent" tickles the cockles of my cold little heart. I digress. Love, loss, whiskey, sex, all filtered through the lens of a poet. The three album run she put together starting with this (and moving on to Essence and World Without Tears) ranks up there with any artist in any genre that I've ever heard. I saw Lucinda in concert about a decade ago. Man, she looked like her songs sound -- like she's been through it. She had her lyrics on a music stand in front of her, had to restart songs (especially early in the show) several times, and seemed just unsteady. Then she found her groove and the power, the transformation was unlike anything I'd seen since the first time watching Aloha from Hawaii when Elvis switched on the magic 20 minutes in. Anyway, unless you've never pined for a lover's touch or never considered making an ill-advised road trip to get into some trouble, this is majestic. If you're in the "I've never done either" category -- well, your life needs some sprucing up, cowboy.

So boring. There was some hope for redemption with “I lost it” but every other song sounds the same.

Nice. Inoffensive.

Janis Joplin will always get 5 stars from me.

Not the typical "pop" style country that dominated the era, it's a bit more roots and has a more rock sound. Her vocal style isn't always the most pleasing, like in 2 Kool. It sounds like she is trying to hard to sound country sometimes. I could see if you are a country music fan this would be a good record and I like it more than the standard modern country pop. I don't feel like this is something I will ever play again, not a must hear for me.

Love it

its country time. guess i will finally have another of my 1/5. gladly its more pop/rock than country but it still bores me. 3/5.

country shit

easy on the ears

1. time - 1 2. uuheelz - 0 3. kool - 1 4. angel - 1 5. uuire - 1 6. lake - 2 7. let - 1 8. lozt - 1 9. metal - 1 10. green - 2 11. kizz - 2 12. joy - 0 13. jackzon - 2

Bit lame

A perfect album from start to finish. A landmark in country/rock, alt country, or whatever you want to call it. Such great songwriting and her voice was never better. There are great session players on this as well such as Steve Earle, Charlie Sexton, backing vocals from Emmylou Harris, etc. Too many favorites on here to mention but "Can't Let Go," "2 Cool to be 4-gotten," "Metal Firecracker," and "Joy" are especially great.

Pure essential of the alt country genre. What Lucinda Williams lacks in the vocal department compared to Emmylou Harris or Dolly Parton, she more than makes up for in songwriting talent, so much vulnerability here. Tasteful arrangements throughout, there are songs that are straight up alt country (Can't Let Go, Joy) and others like Concrete and Barbed Wire that pay tribute to country greats like Hank Williams. Big fan of this one

A nice, non-shitty 90s country album. Away from the Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson type of people, there was and is good music being made in the country/Americana spheres and this is one of them.

This is a really good country record that's tinged with alternative, modern music. The songs are well-crafted and played very well. I was surprised at how impressed I was with this record, particularly the song "Greenville", a banger featuring Emmylou Harris on the harmony vocal.

I’ve never heard her before this album (last week). Nothing particularly notable for me.

2/5 country girl

Su voz es bonita. La letra no me fijé mucho por aburrimiento (que me pegó en la tercera canción). No es un álbum para mí, no soy fan del country USA, pero como dije antes si me gustó su voz, quizás la volvería a escuchar solo por eso.

This was ok.

Jamais écouté avant. Top : Can't Let Go Flop : Joy

This album would be up my alley but it was a miss for me. Lyrics are repetitive on almost every song. Just led me to believe she couldn’t come up with anything else.

I have listened to a good amount of Lucinda Williams songs but I have never heard an entire album. I have been meaning to listen to Car Wheels on a Gravel Road but never got around to it. This is an alt-country classic and the forebearer to a lot of the alt-country movement in the early 2000's. Wilco, The Jayhawks, Emmylou Harris all came before Lucinda Williams. Lucinda brought more Texas and folk-rock influenced sounds to the genre though. I always get Car Wheels on a Gravel Road in my head if I hear the song, so it's going to be well planted in my head after hearing this album on repeat. Is the album long? Yeah, depending on your point of view it could be. Still a quality album and I can feel the work that was put into making the album quality. My favorite tracks: Right in Time Car Wheels on a Gravel Road 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten (Not loving the way the track is spelled, too kitschy) Drunken Angel Lake Charles Can't Let Go Greenville Jackson

Album #215 Lucinda Williams: Car Wheels On A Gravel Road I can’t lie when I say this album showed up; I felt a bit of dread, expecting a dull pop-country affair, but instead I was pleasantly surprised when the album actually had a lot more grit to it than I expected. Alt-country with more focus on country than alt, which is probably a put-off for a lot of people who claim to like alt-country, but what they actually like is alt rock with a twang; Lucinda Williams has far more in common with Johnny Cash than the Silver Jews. There is an interesting blend of contemporary sounds with classic blues and country, and each song relies on deeply personal lyrics and storytelling. Definitely an enjoyable listen, and one that I could see improved upon by either taking a long road trip through barren roads or crying over a bottle of wine in your kitchen. Unfortunately, I was doing neither, so my enjoyment was limited. Best Songs: Drunken Angel, Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, Right In Time Worst Song: Joy Score out of 10: 7

Waaaay too folk for me. Not bad, just interesting. 2.8 The repetitive lyrics also started getting to me.

1001 country albums to listen to before you fall asleep

Oof. That was boring. Joy was kind of ok, but too late, second last song.

I really enjoy music like this. I need more of it in my life.

If this wasn't on here, I was going to burn down the internet finding this guy and then I was going to launch him into the sun. Fortunately, here we are and I get to listen to one of the all-time great albums ever written. Everything about this album is about as perfect as a song writer could hope for: lyrics, music, all of it. I know we're not ranking these albums in order, but if we were, this would be at or near the top of any ranking I could create.

There are great stories and melodies throughout. Every once in awhile there is a production choice that I don’t love, but those are overwhelmed by how real everything on this record is. Her voice, what she is saying, and how she is saying it all work together. I revisit it maybe once a year and I’m always glad that I did.

This is the one album I looked ahead on, checking to see if it was on the 1001 list. If it hadn't been, I might have bailed on the project. It's one of the first that comes to mind if I ask myself, what's a perfect album? A few small things I love about this: the snarl of the chorus in Joy, the bouncy rhythm of Can't Let Go, and the poetry of phrases like the title, "once we rode together in a metal firecracker," and "concrete and barbed wire."

5/5 - An all-time favorite. Had it since it was released and never tire of it. 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten is my favorite.

Not much to say. I found this one boring

Dull

Her voice was nice enough even though a bit generic

Love Lucinda

It's not bad, it's just boring

Was she drunk when she recorded this? It is awful. A truly painful experience.

Pretty whiny

Hmmm ok in places but no for me.

When your mum tells you “we have Sheryl Crow at home”

Decent, but not quite my tempo. Listened to it while working, so did not pay too close attention.

Lucinda Williams is a name I have known for a long time but I have not explored. I always put her in the same category as Winona Judd and other ‘70s Country artists. Little did I know that her greatest contribution didn’t occur until almost 20 years into her career. This album is confident. I think it’s interesting that so many women put out such amazing albums later (respectively) in their careers. It’s like they do the record label thing and then once they get their way they dominate it. It makes me wonder what could have been if they just started doing what they wanted. Key songs for me were the bluesy Joy, the soulful Jackson, and the upbeat bluegrass Can’t Let Go, I think her biggest hit and admittedly a song I thought was done by a different artist. Good album and over for exploration.

Random thoughts: * While I know the name I couldn't really have told you anything about Lucinda Williams before this. * She is way older than I realized. I guess she was a late bloomer or more likely a symptom of a patriarchal society. * This is generally the kind of country music I can get behind. * Her authenticity shines through, especially about the places she sings about down in Louisiana and Mississippi. * While this is apparently her magnum opus, I'm not sure I'm blown away. I wouldn't mind listening again but this isn't entering the rotation.

This is a country album that I can actually get behind. "Can't Let Go" is one of my favorite country songs of all time. Favorite track: Can't Let Go

Won't let go.

Quite pleasantly surprised by this album. I will almost certainly give it another spin and pull out my favorites. If you're not into the genre it's probably not going to break ground for you, but it hits all the right notes.

It's fine. Instruments and lyrics are good, but there's something in Williams' voice - or rather her delivery - that I don't like. It sort of sounds like she's exerting the minimum effort to get the words out of her mouth; there's no energy to her, and it just rubs me the wrong way. Also I'm not much of a country fan. I had heard "Can't Let Go" before, and it would probably be my favorite track on the album even if I hadn't, but the rest does nothing for me.

Like Ani DiFranco if she was more country bop. Not complaining, though, I love Ani DiFranco and I love her evil twin, Country Ani DiFranco aka Lucinda Williams. I liked this album a lot because I'm a sucker for a good banjo and Lucinda was way, way too cool for 1998. Or now. Or any time, really. I liked this album a lot.

Really not a country fan. There's a couple of songs on here that I liked more than "were just there" though.

Not really outstanding, and the vocals are quite whiny throughout the album. I did like the guitar solo in "Still I long for your kiss". And especially in "Joy" the guitar has a great bluesy, slightly distorted, sustained sound! And it features some solid bass playing.

No. Country, like the country it comes from and its president, is a bloated corpse that deserves no attention. This list would not reach 500 without the copious amounts of country and britpop. Really shows the gigantic ego of the anglophone world.

the cover tells you exactly what the album is going to be. Just some country stuff. Still not a fan of country, I also still don't understand why this album, or about 90% of the country albums on this list had to be there. Whenever stuff like this comes up I cannot wait for the downfall of America, if only just so we can all finally accept that country has no significance outside America and needs no international attention.

3.5

I really have forgotten how much I love this album. I have not listened to this one in probably over a decade. It was probably around the time i saw her at Beale Street Music Fest last. But this is such a miraculous album and quite frankly, as far as I'm concerned, her best.

A very nice alt-country/americana album. 4 stars

I bought this around the time it came out and it's just a super solid country/Americana album. I think the production is really good and there's a ton of great guests on here including Buddy Miller, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, and Roy Bittan (the latter two also co-produced). My favorites here are "2 Kool 2 Be 4-gotten", "Can't Let Go", and "Greenville". 4 stars.

Not as bad as kd lang but still pretty boring. Tap dripping in a bathroom sink. Paint drying on a beige wall.

This is a lovely album. While listening I felt like Lucinda was laying her heart wide open — she really makes you feel every emotion she’s going through. There’s sadness, longing, toughness, love, and quiet strength all mixed together in a very honest way. The themes are strong and deeply personal, and you can clearly hear her inspirations from artists like Bob Dylan and classic country storytellers. She blends that raw, poetic songwriting with a rootsy, Americana sound that feels lived-in and authentic. The guitar work, the rhythms, and her distinctive voice all come together beautifully. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road is a great album that rewards you the more you listen. It’s emotional without being dramatic, and it has real depth. One of her very best and easily a modern classic in American music.

this album is ok. i like her voice a lot and the lyrics are good but the instrumentals are pretty generic (despite the producers' apparent desire to "experiment"), and almost too clean...? it's a little more interesting in the first half, but it really does start to drag out towards the end. i'm just barely giving this a 3 on the strength of the vocals and lyrics. as im finding is often the case..... i don't think this really needed to be a double album. like, there's just not enough variety here to justify not dropping a few tracks.

Es verbindet modernen Touch mit bodenständigem Country‑Feeling. Die Platte besticht durch rauchige Vocals, starke Songideen und eine authentische, erdige Atmosphäre. Besonders die Songtexte und die intime Erzählweise bleiben im Gedächtnis. Ein solides, charakterstarkes Album für Hörer, die handgemachten Country mit zeitgemäßer Note schätzen — nicht ganz makellos, aber mit viel Seele.

дуже файне емоційне кантрі. Мені почало реально заходити десь з середини альбому. Може було б 5/5 для мене якби не пісні, як не іронічно, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road та Concrete and Barbed Wire. Найбільше сподобались наступні треки: Lake Charles, Can't Let Go, I Lost It, Joy, Jackson, останній так взагалі класний. <3

Absolutely not.

Car wheels the song is amazing. The rest is very pop country nothing.

I enjoyed it but it's not particularly great

Listened previously. Expectations: Mid - Verdict: Very Good - This has elements I like a lot. The title track is a great song and the others all fit in a similar vein. The sound is quite sterile but it works fairly well. It's all just solid without ever really moving me. Joy is a real change of pace that works brilliantly.

This is my jam. Great voice, story-driven songs...love it.

This was pretty middle of the road stuff. One of those albums where there was nothing really wrong with it there wasn't much to make me want to listen again either. I can see that it had lots of critical praise when it came out, but only one track - the PJ Harveyesque Joy felt worthwhile listening to.

Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: None Dreadfully cliché. Loathsome. Miserable. I have such a hard time attempting to review Country music objectively; I just have such a visceral negative reaction to nearly all of it. This album just never sounds genuine. So, instead, I will just quote Lucinda Williams: "The album was a total clusterfuck" -Lucinda Williams.

Heard lots of good things about this, it did not disappoint. Didn’t love the whole album but there were a lot of highlights for me, my favorites were the title track, Concrete And Barbed Wire, and Joy. I really like Lucinda Williams as a singer, she’s not super polished and has a lot of personality. Really enjoyed these arrangements.

Stripped back, melancholic Americana. Meh... it's OK I guess.

3.5. Кантрі-рок непоганий. Подобається там де більше рок і менше кантрі. Думаю, що якось під настрій ще переслухаю альбом.

Ну, в цілому непогана американа, особливо початок альбому якось жваво пішов. Але після середини я зловив себе на думці що нудно. Загалом 3.

Knew the title track, wasn’t that thrilled by it. The album was a bit of a revelation, “oh, this is why people love her!”: warm, soulful, paints pictures, tells stories.

good all around album- folksy/western 0 but in a good way. Plays well today

Listening session: june 25th, while chilling at home during the heatwave Listened to before: no Thoughts: quite boring, don’t know why this is on the list Favourite track: Can’t Let Go

Right In Time Drunken Angel Joy I definitely enjoyed this more than I expected to!

It's a fairly standard piece of 90s alt-country, complete with the more indie rock passages and a vocal performance that isn't trying to be perfect, it's just trying to get the point across. It's the second example of a later-career release by a veteran country songstress exploring the new sound of alternative country, the first being Emmylou Harris' Wrecking Ball released 3 years prior. This album is definitely more rooted in traditional country where Wrecking Ball veered too often into straight-up U2 territory (Daniel Lanois produced it: go figure.) If you want an authentic middle point between the traditional country Williams had made for much of her career before this album and the more modern sound that brought country to the 21st century, this is the album for you. For me, I like about half of this album for its down to earth sound and the convincing performance from Lucinda Williams herself. However, a lot of this is a little TOO safe sounding, which makes some of the songs feel like they've been placed in the exact middle of the road depicted on the album cover. Despite how authentically country this album is for most of that runtime, there's a strikingly modern sound to it: it sounds like a 2010s album in places, which really lends a timeless quality to the mixing. Really nothing is out of place on that front It also defies the peak CD-era convention of making as many inhumanly long songs as possible to fill the 80-minute runtime - this album doesn't waste any of its 51 minutes. Owing to the stellar production job, I guess you could also argue it's a perfect bridge between folky roots rock and alt-country as well. That's the surprising thing about this album: for how straightforward it's played, it really serves as a bridge between sub-genres and movements, a road between towns if you prefer. Key Tracks: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Concrete and Barbed Wire, Still I Long for Your Kiss

Debated 4 or 5 on this. Ultimate feel good country (ish) album

Slightly boring, very 1001 albums genre, but I enjoyed it very much

Que álbum maravilhoso! Não conhecia e amei. Já virei fã. Que álbum de country prazeroso de ouvir. CVJ Aria.

The title cut is an all time tune for me. Joy and Can't Let Go are amazing. An A album and probably a 4.75.

I dig her sound, especially on, “Can’t Let Go,” and, “Joy.” But the accent gets a little much. Just the same, I’m going to round up from 3.5* for the sheer fact this is 100% better than any pop-country, and that should be rewarded.

Some different types of country; nothing special.

Honestly the biggest head scratcher so far. I might have to buy this book to understand why in the world anyone would put this on the list. I sincerely don't get it.

Definitely was not expecting to like this nearly as much as I did.

5.5/10 its okay i liked the last song

3.75 Really close to a 4 but just not there! That being said, I listened to this a lot yesterday! It was great chill traveling music during my chores. Lucinda is very talented. Felt like a deeper, folksier Sheryl Crow (no offense intended to Miss Crow), or like, a female Ryan Adams (hopefully with none of his personal awfulness).

Nice

Aunque en Apple Music lo clasifican como rock, siento que es más country, género que no soporto. Ya en las últimas canciones estaba a punto de rendirme porque no podía escuchar más. No está mal si escuchas dos tres canciones, pero ni de chiste vuelvo a escuchar el álbum completo.

Alright but country isn’t my favourite genre

Just not for me

Actually, not bad though the algorithm has not been nice for rock albums recently so just bad timing for it

Country is not my favorite genre, and the whole album was a little monotone. I still enjoyed a new take on country with some blues and folk sound.

Listening to actual car wheels on a gravel road would have been more enjoyable. Hell, doing cartwheels on a gravel road would have been more enjoyable.

Car wheels on a gravel road? More like nails on a chalkboard.

I've read the reviews. I'm not going to waste my time. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ❌️ Revisit ❌️ ★★☆☆☆(4/10) default rating Total reviewed : 350 Already owned : 78 Purchased : 16 To buy : 3 Nope : 253

Lovely bit of country. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

I’m just above a 5. I didn’t know this album had THIS much acclaim going into it, what with all of the “best album of 1998” talk from critics as cited on Wikipedia. The instant contrast of that is the top review on the site calling it boring & generically written. The truth is a bit different, because that top review is right. The lyricism in the back half of the album trims down quite handily compared to the more vivid & lived-in experiences of the first half. It’s a notable difference. It’s an intentional difference. The back half of this album, starting from “Can’t Let Go” onwards, is her inability to consistently find and maintain the same sense of love she was able to find & mourn on the first half of the album. I mean, look at the first track; she’s so deeply in love that she can simulate sex down to every detail in a way that works. Her passion rings through to all aspects of her life in the first half, whether it’s the sights & sounds from the titular car wheels on a gravel road, or the memories of juke joints & murdered friends, culminating in “Lake Charles”, a wonderful tribute to her dead ex & how comfortable he felt in himself after finding his town & his people. That’s why the back half of the album works as strongly as it does; it’s a pretty direct mirror of the first half, just from the perspective of someone who can’t recapture the same magic. “Can’t Let Go” shares the same sense of intimacy, but her clinginess to this relationship now reads as more desperate & much less effective to her mind. “I Lost It” tells it right as it is on the tin. The gravel road of the past becomes a touring bus on the road in “Metal Firecracker” where, instead of sharing her memories so openly, she’s now pleading to keep her passions a secret with a fling that popped as quickly as it sparked. “Greenville” onwards through the end of the album is her frustrations spilling out; instead of mourning the dead & trying to break down the barriers of concrete & barbed wire, she’s building walls back up & mourning her own dying passions. Hopefully, the time she does get to Jackson, she’ll have rediscovered it. The back half of the album works as a great mirror; the simpler lyrics are met with a greater intensity in the instrumentation & shakier, passionate vocals that keep them just as engaging despite their repetition. To say this album loses its touch in the back half is ignorant at best & stupid at worst. That’s why I’m somewhere just above a 5. I just think it’s a great 52 minutes front to back. I think it’s definitely worth all of the acclaim it gets. I’m not that close to a 10 because there is some truth to the lack of extra lyrical depth biting at me just a little bit, but I wouldn’t dare call the final results generic. It’s a really strong album, I’m glad it’s on the list, and I think after all of this, I just want to give Lucinda a quick hug. If nothing else, I have some gravel roads I could drive down & listen to this album with, and that might just enhance it a bit more. Great stuff.

Pretty strong country album, I loved it, probably deserves a 3.5 but im gonna give it a "will-relisten" bonus. I can see her influence on many of my favorite contemporary americana/C&W artists. 4/5

This album gets a lot of negative reviews and considered boring and insipid. For me, this album came at a very specific moment in my life, and an incredibly important album for me. Among with a few other albums, Lucinda Williams introduced me to the world of old country and alt-country at a time when country was changing for the worse. An album about love and lost love, discovery, being free, and living. It's a love affair with the land and with people...all through the voice of an incredible songwriter. While some might find it boring, this album fills me with joy . Perfectly produced. There is not much more I can say about it. Greenville is the standout track. A car wheels road trip is something that has always been on my bucket list. 5 stars

so far really enjoying it - I like the blend of country and folk kind of reminds me of Stevie Knicks. I think I would definitely listen to this album again.

Comfortable, the music and the lyrics aren't really *amazing* in any way but it somehow feels very "balanced," like there's not really any *great* moments but the whole album sounds so solidly good (and with enough variety) that I didn't ever get particularly sick of it. Infact... I think it's cool Absolute balance balances absolutely

i can see a version of this I like but it has a bit too much country twang and it's a little too simple

I can see some of the beauty and appeal in this, but it just doesn’t necessarily work for me. Lucinda Williams is bringing together this precise sort of 90s female alt singer-songwriter softness and exposed wobbliness with a raw country sound, and it’s not something I found myself clicking with really. There’s some great tracks in here, some great songwriting, but it felt like it was going long, like a lot of the tracks ended up blending together in tone and writing (I respect naming places often for connecting to the spirit but it becomes a wash as someone external to it all), like I would very wildly on how I felt about the intentionally thrown vocals - just wasn’t in my bag so none of it was coming to me. A shame but I’m glad it works for others nonetheless.

This was alright. Nothing I'd play again. I did appreciate the 90s sound to it obviously.

Second-rate Sheryl Crow. Nothing wrong with it, there's just better 90s country.

Damn, what a rough production. Insane compression on the lead guitar - bruh it already had too much twang, y'all don't need to pump that. Janky tuning on the lead vocal. We know auto-tune existed at this juncture, as did digital recording - no excuse not to run another take or touch up the flats. A knock-on effect of this is the vocals sound so sleepy and uninspired. The few words I could make out simply have no execution behind them. It sounds like a substitute teacher blindly stumbling through prewritten lecture slides. Awkward. The half-ass production doesn't do anything to polish the turd either. It's so dry and unrefined that I would believe if you told me these were the guide tracks. The leads sound unfinished. Gives uncool, unsexy Sheryl Crow at times, who at that barely makes the cut for interesting listens herself. Who comes up with this shit? --- Here's the critic's view, it's a laugh. I feel the need to punctuate it: > Lucinda Williams makes this whole music thing seem so simple: Indeed, it sounds simple as shit. > Write in plain language about the people and places that crowd your memory; add subtle flavors of a mandolin here, a Dobro there, perhaps an accordion or slide guitar; above all, sing as honestly and naturally as you can. "...as you can". Makes no objective comment about her aptitude, which I find sorely lacking. There's nothing subtle about this. > Of course, it took her six years to achieve this simplicity, Fucking LOL, she has six years of work behind this?? Can we discuss the grand irony of working this hard to sound like you don't give enough of a fuck to work hard? > an amazing achievement considering the number of knobs that were turned. I can't tell if this refers to the amount of production that went into this album. If so, you're delusional bro. It sounds half-baked. > Her exquisite voice moans and groans and slips and slides—she delivers a polished tone in a coarse manner. Agree to disagree, I guess. I'd use the terms "wails aimlessly", and I find nothing coarse nor polished about any of this. > On the superb "Concrete and Barbed Wire," oof, rough take choom. Cringe-worthy lyrics and execution on this cut, not to mention the hammed-up southern accent. > soft acoustic guitars are punctuated by electric slide, accordion, mandolin, and Steve Earle's harmony. At this point I think we listened to different releases. Nothing soft about this, aside from the attempt. > Williams's deeply personal stories are matched with bluesy rumbles, raunchy grooves, and plaintive whispers. May I suggest some material with raunchy grooves, so you use that descriptor accurately in the future. > The entire Deep South is reduced to a sleepy small town filled with ex-lovers, dive bars, and endless gravel roads. Surprisingly I somewhat agree. This album distills the entire Deep South down to its shamelessly uncouth, awkward, ignorant, lame, backwater stereotype. Unfortunately, this strikes deeply against the elegance and sophistication that Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson have demonstrated country music can embody. Bless your heart, Lucinda Williams.

Entretenido

Her voice hurts my ears. Sounds like a fake southern drawl, over emphasized and painful to hear. 1.0

***** MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE ALBUM!!! ***** I could listen to this every day and never get tired of it. Lyrics, vocals, phrasing, guitars - just perfection.

This was pretty horrible. I didn’t enjoy anything about this at all really. It sounds like she thinks she is being edgy, but this is the epitome of bland. None of my business.

No es mi estilo de álbum, pero es eso que escucharía en un viaje de carretera

Fint nok.

Not too bad but still awful country.

Right in Time, Drunken Angel, Metal Firecracker and Car Wheels on a Gravel Road are rotation staples for me. Looking forward to a relisten of the whole album as its been a while since I've heard most of the deeper cuts.

Rating: 5.0/5 Short Review: Dusty, lived-in, and heartbreakingly real. Every song feels like it has dirt under its fingernails and a story behind it. One of the greatest Americana albums ever made. Favorite Track: “Drunken Angel” Beautiful, sad, and full of affection for flawed people.

I had heard the title track and Can’t Let Go previously, but I never explored the rest of the album. There are some fantastic alt-country songs on this record. My two favorites are Concrete and Barbed Wire, and Metal Firecracker.

Reminds me of the warden from Holes. Cool slide guitar riffs, good harmonica sound. Accordion on Lake Charles track.

Heard this one quite a bit back in the record store days. Some of my co-workers were fans. I've always liked Lucinda, but never really more than that. Giving this a re-listen didn't change my opinion. She is talented, but several of the lyrics are overly repetitive. Still a good listen, but not more than that.

It's just another "didn't love it ... didn't hate it" album for me. One thing I am not a big fan of is her vocals. 2.5 stars!

Too generic, even for country standards. I like my country songs non-wishy-washy.

There are some really good moments, but many of the songs suffer from repetitive choruses.

This honestly got pretty repetitive quickly. A lot of the tracks were just structured too similarly I guess. Showed some flashes, but ultimately pretty dull for a 90's country record.

Great album. Need to listen again. We'll possibly raise to a 5

When country meets 90s alt-rock. Some jam-based tracks. A lot of the songs seem pretty similar to each other.

Wow! Great album! Lucinda is awesome, and you could make an argument that this is her at her best.

Carwheels is such a beautiful album. Several of the tracks pull at the heart strings on on any given day.

A good early morning album...or late night in the dark.

This was a great traditional country album. Loved the twang, her vocals are great, the the guitar is just enough to support without getting in the way. Lake Charles and can’t let go are particularly good.

Rating:★★★ Finally, some country on here. Never heard this album before. Nice Writing, sometimes a bit boring in my opinion but otherwise I enjoyed it.

6.5/10

Okay now I'm a bit done with southern influenced stuff. I like "90s woman rock" but would kinda just prefer to listen to Alanis Morissette.

solid 3.5

ну и жижа

Some really good grit to this music. Very listenable and fun to play

I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. Just really solid songwriting.

Dope

Folk laulut uppoaa meikäläiseen. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

the kind of soft country pop that makes me think i’m not american enough to enjoy this. listened to while doing the dishes + reading east of eden, which was not terrible tbh!

The songs themselves sound pretty bland and nothing special. It was Williams’s voice that I didn’t like. I thought it sounded grating at times.

Better than most country music, it still isn't a genre I would seek out. Her playing and singing are done well on the album, though some of the songs are kind of generic. 2.5/5 Probably won't listen again

Goes hard.

really pleasant time. trend to watch in the 1001 albums project: me adding a song to my playlist as the album is winding down and then getting knocked out by a wonderful closing track!

quite enjoyed!

eh

Last weekend I had a chance to see Ben Folds at the local theater here in town and was reminded how much I enjoy story-telling songs. I've been thinking about this for the last couple of days as Nathan and I have visited some of Ben's material from the 90's. And it was with these thoughts that I took on this album. In short, it was hard to get through. The music honestly wasn't bad. But the lyrics? Ugh. Boring, meaningless drivel. I think at one point she said 'he likes to be in Lake Charles because he loves Lake Charles.' Another droned on about concrete and barbed wire without subtle metaphor or meaning - like literally those things. I'm far from well educated musically but at least try to have some nuance. Maybe it was nuanced and I just missed it on a first and only listen. But no way I am going back to give it another chance. I want to rate it a 1 but that is reserved for the truly, all-around awful. This one deserves something for the quality of the music. 2/5.

I knew of Lucinda Williams, but before hearing this album I probably couldn’t have picked her out of a lineup or named one of her songs. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road feels like the kind of record best played loud while speeding down a country road in a cherry-red 1967 Ford Mustang convertible. That was the first image that came to mind the moment I put it on. I may irritate some longtime fans by saying this—especially since I’m not deeply familiar with the rest of her catalog—but on first listen, Williams sounds like a blend of Sheryl Crow and Tom Petty. There’s a little rock and roll, a little country, a little Americana, and a healthy dose of Southern rock. Whatever label you want to put on it, this album wears it exceptionally well.

This sounds like it should be an enjoyable album. The delivery of the vocals however, destroys anything the music is laying down. It gets super old by track 3. The songwriting style is as follows: 1. Come up with a track name 2. Repeat it unendingly until the song is over. The music is fine, but there's nothing here worthy of a relisten.

Sheryl Crow deserves at least 40% of the royalties …or vice versa

It was ok miguel

It’s a bit like a country version of Sheryl Crow. Good songwriting. Some of it is a bit too country for my taste but I respect it! Appreciate all the Louisiana references. 3.4/5.0

country rock at its most sensual. Lucinda Williams sings of love and longing over some serene instrumental backing (including organ and accordion from the E Street Band's own Roy Bittan!). her words and her weathered singing voice carry a lifetime of experience within them. the guitar work is delicate, tasteful and immaculately well-produced (thank you Steve Earle). does it need to be 50+ minutes? I dunno. but the highs are super high. strong 7/10.

This is fine. A little generic feeling.

Lucinda Williams dropped a dynamite album here. The songs are great and help bridge the gap between old school country and newer country without committing to the party atmosphere that a lot of country songs and artists have done in recent years.

I have been meaning to listen to this for years and finally got around to it. Honestly, its better than my expectations.

Nice but parts were way to country/folksy for me. I would still give it three stars.

I was completely unfamiliar with this, but liked it on the whole. It has a nice country rock sound, with the title track and I Lost It standouts in giving a more forceful sound to a genre that can become a bit sleepy. The middle section did lose my interest a bit, but still good enough for 4*.

Going into this, I'd only heard the excellent title track, so was curious to see if the rest of the album lived up to that quality. For the most part, it does. It's great country-tinged rock throughout. Although the second half didn't grab me as much as the start, it ends strongly with the reflective, acoustic number 'Jackson.'

A really nice country-rock album, consistently solid from start to finish without ever quite reaching greatness. Lucinda Williams has a knack for a catchy melody and her drawling, languid vocals work perfectly with the lyrics. The production and arrangements are good too, lots of slide guitar, accordion, etc. No real standout but if I had to pick a few I’d go for ‘Right in Time’, the title track and ‘Can’t Let Go’. With a bit more variety and/or a truly great song or two I might give this a higher score, but it’s still a very strong 3 stars.

I am loving “Can’t let go”

Prima voor achtergrond maar niet bijzonder.

Ja oke’ish, bietje saai

Had er niet zoveel mee

A fair country album.

country girl

Another new artist for me, and one I can already tell is going to be another American Country act. With it's opening track "Right In Time", my expectations were already tuned to 'generic country album'. Despite that initial impression, "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" is already more rock-leaning than country typically is, which was a nice surprise. There is a slight rock-y, edginess to this country album that I didn't expect that continued into other tracks like "Drunken Angel" that continued to surprise. That being said, I notice that, although Williams can definitely sing, there is something missing in her vocals for me. Kinda stumped for comments beyond what's already been said; yet another album that is perfectly pleasant and serviceable as casual listening music, but nothing much more than that. Other tracks I can say I still enjoyed: "Can't Let Go", "I Lost It", "Greenville", "Joy", "Jackson".

It pretends it's "not just country" but it's country, like a Seabrook is "more than a crisp"

I just dont care for country

Good album. I like her voice, and this fits well within the resurgence of country in the late 90s and early 00s

Really great, I love her voice, I few alright songs stop this from. Being a 5* but the standouts really standout

Great album! Another artist I haven't listened to enough. The first artist I thought of when I initially heard her was Steve Earle. And, of course, he's on the album. Love this sort of Americana/heartland zeitgeist. I'll listen to her further.

Was she drunk while singing "Drunken Angel"? I don't love her voice if I'm being completely honestly. It's a bit too phlegmy for me to say that it's any good. Yeah, I don't like her voice. It's got some of the cliche country twang, that isn't too bad, but there's something else going on that is really abrasive to me. It's like she's very nonchalant with her voice, and it comes off as lazy. It's a shame that I dislike her voice so much, because the rest of the music is really great. All of the non-drum instruments fit perfectly into the sound and style (not saying the drums aren't also very good, but they don't quite fit as nicely as the electric guitar, harmonica, etc.). Like all of the solos are really quite nice. It's so close to being an album that I would love, but it just misses that mark for me, almost entirely because of her vocals. It's just hard for me to really commit to listening when her voice makes me cringe so much. And it ends up being an album I wish I could rate higher. Favorite Song(s): Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Lake Charles

Mi dispiace non dare 5 stelle, ma l’album si regge su 2 fantastiche canzoni: right in time e I lost it, per il resto non raggiunge l’apice dato dalle prime canzoni (tranne alla fine). Deunken angel e Concrete and Barbed wire hanno praticamente la stesso ritmo, rendendo inevitabilmente l’ascolto della seconda monotona dopo la prima. Sono carine anche metal firecracker e greenville. Diciamo che specialmente per le ultime canzoni ciò che mi entusiasma di più è la sua fantastica voce e la tranquilla che trasmettono, non proprio le canzoni in se, le considererei forse più di sottofondo di momenti monotoni e pacifici. Joi fa cagare Jackson è un bacio di addio e lo adoro.

slow americana. not bad, cheryl crowe-ish

Listened Before? N Wow, this was really good! Great voice, great lyrics, great style! I'm in love. Added to Library? Y Songs added to playlist: Can't Let Go

Disappointing

Eh

your mom loved listening to this on cassette in her Chrysler Town + Country (non-derogatory)

Приятно шуршит гравий под колесами машины

Вау, этот сайт умеет генерировать в пики женские альбомы. Не могу поверить. Милый альбом, но для меня слишком амэрикан. И разницу между песнями лично мне трудно уловить. Разобрала шкаф с одеждой под него, но до 4 все равно не дошло.

Ноющие женщины под гитарку в 90ых это моя иррациональная любовь

Недавно слушал в рамках своего челленджа, и прям очень понравилось, я аж не ожидал. Женское кантри из 90-х неожиданно годнота. Лучшие треки: right in time, car wheels on a gravel road

не люблю такое, 2.5 можно отжалеть

That was easily one of the most boring albums on the project. Calling it alternative does seem funny. It was interesting reading that this was the beginning of the Americana genre. I always associate much older songs with that genre so nice to learn that. But ya this was an absolute chore to listen to. Rating: 1.3

First three songs were pretty strong- really enjoyed 2 kool 2 be forgotten. Then it just...trails off, I got bored, and couldn't do it anymore, none of it was particularly bad, just became bland.

I just don't really like country Favorite song: right in time

She seems like quite a cool lady, but I found her vocals annoying (overly languid and lethargic) and the songs were only okay at best. The title track was probably my favourite. I can't say I know whether she's a significant figure on the country music scene, I hadn't heard of her before.

Lucinda is a good writer and performer. The next stage in women’s country after Linda Dolly and Emmy Lou etc and she holds up with them. In fact Emmy Lou provides what only she can on Greenville. It’s a crack lineup too - Steve Earle, Charlie Sexton, Roy Bittan (E street band). Yes she did edgier stuff but this works nicely. A great introduction to Lucinda. Chase up everything else she did.

Jackson is one of those last song on the album gems I love, beautiful bit of country. Ditto Greenville and Lake Charles. She sounds drunk on Drunken Angel, it is not good.When she moves to the more upbeat stuff, its not as good either. I played this to death when it first came out, not so much now. I saw her in 2009 and it was not good, lost my late 90's passion for what she was doing. Deadbeats, this is good and worthy of a listen, but it is patchy.

God, it sounds so simple when Lucinda Williams does it. The songs and playing and singing all seem so straightforward. But there is an unadorned poetry of real-life details and places and events, with no ten-dollar words or fancy imagery. She's “in a yellow Camino listening to Howlin Wolf.” It's even in the album title 'Car Wheels on a Gravel Road'. How evocative is that? There's a whole story right there. This is terrific songwriting, perfectly sung and played. I like the way her vocals are prominently placed in the mix. And it's got Emmylou Harris on it too! Always a sign of quality, there. I've listened to it three times through on the trot and enjoyed it more every time. I was a big fan of her 1988 self-titled album but had stopped really listening to new releases by the late 90s, so I've slept on this one, to my cost. This is going on my want-list,

Excellent

Every song is enjoyable. But just enjoyable. You could have this on in the background all day and it will not distract in any way, either good or bad.

Her later more rock-inspired albums are much better. world without tears is amazing.

Not a huge fan. Some recognizable tunes but she stales out so frequently

A pretty nice album. I enjoyed most of it. Toward the end, it started to get on my nerves a bit. Besides, you heard this sound quite often toward the end of the ’90s. In that sense, the album doesn’t seem to have been particularly influential. 3/5

no thanks!

Some songs I found were okay but most of them I found generic and a little annoying:(

This may be the most "3" album of the 602 I've heard so far. There's some great songwriting, but does she need to mention every city and town in Louisiana?

2 Mediokre 2 Ekceed 2-Stars

ok bon de la country

I quite liked the beginning even though each song was very repetitive. Lost me in the last half/third.

The most inoffensive, non groundbreaking 90s alt country album I’ve ever heard. Nothing on it is bad but what is the point of including this on the list? I gained nothing musically from this and lost 50 minutes to an okay album that I’m sure could be topped by a variety of local bands in my area.

Probably realistically a 3.5 for me. Some really strong songs and some others that are just bang average. A little same-y

8.5/10

yummm

This album really showcases how musical acts build off of each other. The Wikipedia article says there were guest appearances by Emmylou Harris (an artist I’ve rated 1 star) and Steve Earle (an artist I’ve rated 1 star). So by this logic this album is statistically likely to be 1 star. And it is, because it’s another bland and forgettable modern country album that acts like being drunken and uncivil is somehow a charming and desirable trait. Dreadful. Not worth the time.

Boring, weird singing. I never liked this Emmy Lou Harris style music of hardly any choruses.

Great songs, great musicians, great voice, great production.

lindo

5/10… heartland rock / country /*1998

i must not like country or something

No ha estado mal, al principio parecía que iba a ser mucho mejor, pero para mi gusto se ha desinflado un poco. Me guardo tres canciones de las primeras: Right in time, 2 kool 2 be 4-gotten y Drunken angel.

I tend to only listen to Lucinda Williams when I'm on a road trip, which makes a Pavlovian situation wherein I hear this album and feel like I'm on the road.

What the hell is this album doing in this selection? It’s just cheap.

"Lazy" (or "feigned lazy") vocals will always work better with female vocals than with male. Compare them to the singing of average-level British punk output, and this'll win every time. Williams's vocal gives off a thick air of country, and if there was any doubt, the other instruments seal the deal. Definitely a hint of alt-era rock added to the mix, too, with the drumming and guitar. Not a fan of the slide guitar. It's perhaps the most overused instrument of all time relative to how good it sounds. We start off on the right foot with Right In Time, a positive, laid-back yet energetic bopper. The rock-solid title track follows, featuring a You're thinking, "Okay, this is good. As long as the other tracks don't sound exactly like this, as long as there's enough musical variety to convince us Williams is impressive and a boundary-pusher for the year 1998, this album should be pretty great." And then the rest of the album plays. All dreams are dashed. The world turns grey. The 5-minute Lake Charles and mind-numbingly simple/repetitive Greenville represent the very worst of this issue. After a slew of tracks like this, Can't Let Go acts as an abrupt breath of fresh air. Light, breezy, airy energy, making use of a more acoustic sound than previous songs. The use of a fast 12-bar blues progression is (almost) always a win. Great guitar solo. 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten might be the dumbest song title in any entry on this list. At least so far. But it sounds pretty good – those quiet organs add a lot of personality and expression – so it gets a (begrudging) pass. Much later on the album, after the extremely dull track pairing Greenville / Still I Long For Your Kiss, we get the excellent Joy, with guitar-vocal imitation galore, a complex texture, multiple lead guitars going at once, a much rockier and more interesting song... Everything about Joy glows, making it easily the best song on the album. The fact that Williams is capable of this makes some of the earlier stuff a lot more frustrating in retrospect. 2/5 Key tracks: Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, Can't Let Go, Joy

Another of those artists I’ve heard of but mostly never heard before, except one song which used to play often at an old job of mine. I tried to not let my antipathy toward country music influence this listen-thru. But this album lost me very quickly and couldn’t get me back. The title track, the SECOND track, is written so poorly it actually made me angry. Just a lists of a bunch of things that are supposed to evoke nostalgia, sung over repetitive, basic riffs. And to top it all off, the phrase that is the title of the track and album is repeated 18 times! And mostly in pseudo-chorus at the end of each verse. It’s like “if I keep pushing this button the emotions will come out.” There is some good guitar on a lot of these tracks and that zydeco-influenced accordion that was kind of popular in the 90’s. That’s all I can really say it has going for it. The good will I had going into this was thrown out almost immediately. I had no more patience left for simplistic song structure, repetitive lyrics, or twang. BTW, the word you’re looking for is “tires.”

this is boring mediocre country music written for people living somewhere mediocre in america, of which there seem to be rather a lot.

3.5/10 - Pretty boring.

There are a few songs that are a bit too country for me, but I think the songwriting is strong and the more alt-country or americana parts are really good. 7/10

I love this album and used to play it all the time. My wife hates the sound of Lucinda's voice. No regrets but I do miss this album.

What a nice surprise to get this album in this collection! I know her voice puts a lot of people off, but thankfully I'm not one of those people, and I've listened to this album many times outside this project and always enjoyed the songs and the stories, although it's probably 2-4 songs too long overall. (I'm also struck by how much I associate this album with similar ones by Daniel Lanois and T-Bone Burnett.) My favorites are probably the title track, "Concrete and barbed wire", the very Steve-Earle-influenced "I lost it", and "Joy"; and the only real dud would probably be the strangely bitter "Greenville". I'm not entirely sure it deserves a full four stars, but I feel like this album is impressively solid and serves as a great stand-in for all of the very worthy acoustic/folk/alt-country/country-rock/Americana artists that sadly *aren't* here.

There's something about Lucinda Williams' voice that I don't quite trust. It feels like she's faking it. And these songs aren't that good either.

I’m sure she’s a great songwriter, but I just don’t like music like this

I'm really bad with country I liked 2 cool to be 4 gotten but its 4 AM and she talken about some concrete and barbed wire. This did not change my mind about the genre and idk if i'd keep listening to it

# Album Name: Car Wheels On A Gravel Road # Artist: Lucinda Williams # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Its a big no from me. # Top Tunes: # Would I listen to it again? No

I came to *Car Wheels on a Gravel Road* knowing almost nothing about it beyond its reputation and the story of its difficult birth. That story immediately made me sympathetic to Lucinda Williams. She took years over the record, rejected work that was apparently close to completion and changed the people around her when she decided they were not getting her where she wanted to go. Predictably, some of the contemporary commentary turned this into a story about a difficult woman who couldn’t finish an album. I’m inclined to see somebody dismantling choices that had been made around her and accepting an enormous amount of risk to get back to the record she actually wanted. Recording is bloody hard work. Once you have sunk weeks and months into something, surrounded by people who would quite like you to declare it finished, pulling the plug requires extraordinary self-belief. There is a point where perfectionism becomes pathology, but this does not sound like *Don’t Stand Me Down* madness, endlessly worrying at details until the process itself becomes the work. Williams seems to have recognised something much more fundamental: this isn’t right. I need to do it differently. If the finished album is the evidence for the defence, she was spectacularly vindicated. Because the first thing you notice is her voice. Everything else is second fiddle to it. Not because the playing is anonymous or the arrangements negligible, but because the entire record seems to understand where its centre of gravity lies. The musicians build a world around her and then get out of the bloody way. And what a voice it is. Not technically spectacular in any conventional sense, but magnificently present. Her phrasing is luscious: sensual, slightly loose, a little bad-girl tipsy. She can stretch something as simple as “Ohhhhhhh, my baby” until it seems to contain appetite, regret, amusement and whatever happened last night. She doesn’t so much deliver lines as sidle into them. There is always the suggestion that she knows more about the situation than she is prepared to put in the lyric. *Drunken Angel* is where I realised how wonderfully dangerous this could become. In lesser hands it could be a sober songwriter observing somebody else’s self-destruction. Williams sings it as though she is scarcely in a position to judge. She sounds as bad as the subject of the song, implicated in exactly the same world of appetite, affection and questionable decisions. It makes the song far more honest. Nobody is standing outside the wreckage handing out moral grades. That is the world of this album: pick-up trucks and hangovers, heat, memory, people carrying yesterday around with them. Importantly, it never feels like Americana as costume. The trucks are not there because somebody has decided that trucks signify authenticity. They are simply what these people drive while going off to complicate their lives. The whole record feels used rather than curated. I kept thinking of Sheryl Crow’s debut, another album whose difficult road to existence seems inseparable from the startling self-possession of the woman at its centre. I also found myself thinking of Chrissie Hynde. Williams is something like the Chrissie Hynde of country: the same adult female authority, the same refusal to package sensuality as sweetness, the same sense that nobody has granted her permission to occupy this much space because she plainly never thought permission was necessary. Imagine Hynde exchanging alleyways and leather for heat haze, pick-up trucks and morning-after regret and you are somewhere in the vicinity. What ultimately makes *Car Wheels on a Gravel Road* wonderful is the combination of exactitude and ferality. Williams fought extraordinarily hard to get the record right, yet absolutely nothing about the result feels over-disciplined. Lust, damage, pride, bad judgement and tenderness remain magnificently untidy. The craft gives them shape without cleaning them up. Three songs in, I stopped caring about the album’s reputation. Canonical importance seemed beside the point. This wasn’t a record I wanted to stand back and admire. This was a record I wanted to take to bed.

I’m not really sure why this record is on the list? No part is noteworthy. Aggressively horrendous lyrics. Average instrumentation, vocals are pretty dull, no real dynamics to the record, and no real risks taken. Joy may be the worst song I’ve heard yet on this list. I think you could substitute any studio singer and band in Nashville and you could get the exact same generic pop country sound. I do actually like country from this era, but not sure why this is the representation. This record absolutely blows. 1/5

Comes out the gate very strong and soulful, but it loses its luster about halfway in, it's a very specific kind of music and the album as a whole just doesn't spread its wings much outside of that niche.

This is a five to me. I borrowed this cd from the library a gazillion years ago. She’s an incredible songwriter. The grit of her voice, the simplicity of some of these songs and their emotional impact. She is a treasure to music.

I'm so excited for this. It's been something that I have only recently gotten into so it's exciting to now really examine it. Ok, so I get it. This album is good and important. But it's not my fave style of country. Still, I got mad respect for Lucinda

In the context of 1998, it's a great breath of fresh air. Thanks Lucinda.

I've successfully resisted this record for some time given how it adopts clarity and transparency as hallmarks of its sound. Every note is clear and well-placed. The pace is measured. It's an articulate album that is oriented towards the listener in ways I'm suspicious of. Generally, I've always felt like I did not have the patience for Lucinda Williams' brand of mid-tempo folk, country, and rock. And while this much polish tends to make my skin crawl, I have a begrudging respect for her craft and will confess to liking this record more on my first complete listen than I expected. There is enough emotional content in her voice to interest me at least once as she journeys on her gravel road.

I'm not normally a country fan, but I kind of liked the mix of folk and country in this album (I read it referred to as alternative country in my research). The musical arrangements are simple and not cluttered, which allows Lucinda's voice to be high in the mix. Her voice is not super fantastic and show-offy, but it does justice to the lyrics. The album is more standard country after the first few songs, my favorite of which was "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road". My other personal highlights included "Right In Time" and "Drunken Angel".

Now I can tell this is an above average country blues album. Not really my thang though, although I don’t hate country (anymore). Drunken Angel was my favorite song, I will say - great, introspective lyrics.

alright, not bad

Liked this a lot more than I expected lol Fav: Drunken Angel

Meh.