Car Wheels On A Gravel Road

Bland music, boring vocalist who is sounding mudane, music is country/folk... what's there to like?! I'm kind of weirded out by this album being on this list.

The poet's daughter crams this full of great writing. A winner.

I really didn’t care for this. It felt like Courtney Love mixed with Sheryl Crow, but lacking the talent of both. I did like “Joy” so I saved that one for my playlist.

it’s ok…

It was fine.

This was pretty nice. I wouldnt mind listening again. Strong 3 easily

Bardzo przyjemnie brzmienie. Dobra barwa głosu. Nie monotonne nuty.

Yesterday I got Waylon Jennings album and thought “hey, maybe i was wrong about country all along”. I wasn’t. Not my genre

Yeah. Great drive and energy all the way

The first half of this album was kind of meh, but the latter half was really good. The last 3 tracks were straight fire back-to-back-to-back. 4/5 Highlights: Can't Let Go Still I Long For Your Kiss Joy Jackson

Unexpectedly brilliant

This is well made, but it just seems somewhat average. Not something that will really stick with me. Something I likely wouldn’t notice being on at a bar. The backing instrumentals were good. My favorite songs were Drunken Angel and Can’t Let Go.

Awful

I didn't know this singer. Pleasantly surprised. Nice vocal and lyrics. Overall good album.

some very good songs but overall not very exciting

Von den Alben die ich bisher gehört hab ist das mein liebstes. Kannte die Musikerin nicht hab mich aber gewundert tatsächlich ein Album von ihr auf einer Playlist zu haben. Gefällt mir!

genuinely the exact sort of longing i was doing this morning jesus christ. i found this really pleasantly surprising!! still i long..... for your kiss.........

I thought this was okay, the last song was the best, but it was all quite samey.

Boring. That is all

Car wheels on a gravel road.. off the side of a cliff.

Yeah will listen again to that number.

Not for me at all. So boring.

Could not cet into it

Prima singer-songwriter/country album. Sowieso ook wel eens fijn om een vrouw te horen in plaats van een britpop man. Mag ook wel eens! Het is zeker geen vervelend album, het is ook niet mn favoriete album. Word er niet wild van en dat ik zo baal dat ik dit album nu pas hoor, maar het album is meer dan prima genoeg. Ook wel fijn om weer een iets minder album van uiterste te hebben! De stem van Lucinda is echt dikke prima, de instrumenten klinken wel wat gedateerd, als je me had verteld dat dit uit de jaren 80 komt had ik je ook geloofd, maar dat is toch niet echt wat op de voorgrond staat hier. Af en toe een solo'tje en verder is het toch echt wel Lucinda die de aandacht pakt. Tsja, ik vind het gewoon wel prima, niet fantastisch maar heb zeker slechtere albums gehoord! FAVO: Right in Time, Can't let go, Metal firecracker, Joy

This ain't no two star record. It's in fact one of the greatest country albums of all time. Half or more of it is happily seared in my brain.

Pretty repetitive, but fun overall.

This is Nashville country done right. First 2 songs are pure brilliance. It's a niggle, but I'd have wished for a better mix. The drums are just too heavy throwing it out of balance. Playing is great, it was all in the post mixing. Won't impact my stars. This is a 5 through and through. Can't Let Go is still buzzing in my ears.

I may check out more of her stuff, fairly bland as far as country music goes. Feels like Lillith Fair fodder (oh just looked it up & she DID play at Lillith Fair in 1998!)

Raw, at times. Full of pathos, much fo the time. Real, all the time. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road is what country music should be - raw, pathos, and real. Alas, most is not but thank goodness for Lucinda. These are stories that tug at the heart, but there is enough joy to keep the listener from drowning in dispair. Her gravelly voice perfectly fits the stories and her band is just what this type of music needs.

Really tried to listen to this and her voice is nice but country music is just too formulaic for me

Just chill

Found this to be pretty generic folk/country. Something I'm not a big fan. She sounds s bit like Cheryl Crowe, but not really a fan of hers either. Think the biggest thrill from this album was seeing Steve Earle's name associated with the album. She's has a nice voice, but other than that, nothing excited me about this album. The .5 is for Earle. 1.5

3.5 I wasn’t thrilled to see back-to-back country albums on this list, especially after not feeling the tonk of Joe Ely’s so-called Masquerade at all, but this came as a bit of a surprise - this is MUCH more of what I want out of my country music. All of the extra BS found on Honky Tonk Masquerade is absent here, and you’re left with more of a stripped back, bare bones, straightforward country album. I mean, yes, the production is still very clean (perhaps cleaner than I would like at times, though shoutout to Steve Earle), and there's for sure a degree of pop sensibility, but something about Lucinda’s presentation feels very personal and vulnerable, which I think allowed me to grab onto this more than I normally would. And man, did I dig her voice - I think some people have a problem with it, but for me its imperfections added to the overall self-expressive charm. I liked just about every song here, but what ultimately holds me back from giving this a higher rating is the lack of variety for its length. As much as I would like to say it’s the kind of thing where the overall sound and vibe established is good enough for that not to matter, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t checking in on my progress somewhere around Metal Firecracker pretty consistently each time through. The best songs to be found here are definitely in the front half, though I was pretty happy to hear a cameo from my homegirl Emmylou Harris on Greenville, which very well may have saved this album from otherwise losing me around that point. Still, as someone who doesn’t claim to be the biggest fan of country music, I thought this was pretty good. Definitely something I’ll be revisiting again when I’m in the mood to feel like a heartbroken Southern woman.

Sad story: British man forced to listen to country music. Not bad but did not like.

I liked it. An artist I had never heard of but a combination of Sheryl Crow and Linda Ronstadt.

Concrete and borbdwarr

“can’t let go” was goated. also “joy” was pretty good. i wasn’t expecting a lot from this album. but it was surprisingly good. it was like the country equivalent of pop rock! not my usual genre of choice, but still enjoyable. the album cover was really pretty too (though that doesn’t factor into my rating). 4/5!

Really enjoyed despite the marble mouth

Whatever? Not really that impressive to be honest

..

I was dreading this album. The name and the cover implied some country-style rock that I don't really like. But it was actually pretty good. 3.5/5

I started to type something snarky like. "Where else would the car wheels be?" But then I remembered that cars do better on asphalt.

It's forgettable country

Soft-folk/country. Not unpleasant but not my kind of music. Nothing here for me.

Nice

Really liked this. Good meaningful story telling lyrics which is always the thing with country music. Good production, good overall sound, chilled and laid back. If I am gaining anything from this site, it's a growing appreciation for country music

Nothing here quite as good as "Fruits of My Labor." Still, a solid album. I liked the ballads more than the upbeat stuff.

Really enjoyed this one. I thought she did a great job of storytelling with "Can't Let Go" being the obvious standout. Still, I liked the whole thing with its blend of country, blues, and rock complementing the song topics. This kind of thing is not normally in my wheelhouse so this was a bit of a surprise but a welcome one.

A bittersweet explanation of America in the 21st century. Where are we headed and what's with this handbasket??

Folksy alt-country, twangy Americana, swampy blues. A huge contrast to the bombastic mega-pop country of the era (Twain, Brooks), this is a return to a rootsy style and dark, angry, melancholy themes of Southern abjection. The production is very radio-ready though, the big clean drums setting a propulsive groove that kicks it out of singer-songwriter gear into almost a heartland rock sound. The bright chiming surf guitars on a few tracks are so good! Less a fan of the cajun elements though, the corny accadian accordian sound really takes away from a couple of otherwise great songs. Favorites: Greenville, Metal Firecracker, 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten, Right in Time, Joy

Shite, twee country bollocks.

I recognized two songs on here probably from radio play back in the day. I wanted to like it more but her vocals really left something to be desired.

It was fine.

A beautiful album. Incredible songs, well performed, and no filler. I haven’t listened to this album much, but I can understand why it’s held in such high esteem by artists I love. Lucinda is a treasure.

не зашло

I am incredibly attracted to Lucinda Williams on this album, but I think that's a legitimate reason to rate it highly. She's an immensely seductive MILF country artist. That's all I have to say.

6/10. While this album was revolutionary or particularly different to things I'd heard before, it was very pleasant. Easy listening which was relaxed albeit quite formulaic feeling and the vocals were nice with the classic American twang coming through. It did feel a bit drawn out and the slower bluesy basslines sort of blended into another but I did enjoy the closing track - it was a nice way to end the album. Overall, it was pleasant while it lasted but I probably won't be rushing back to this one which about where I'm placing a 6 on this scale.

Sounds like Sheryl Crow. Easy listen

Meh.

Pretty good alt country / Americana rock. The feel strikes a balance between a homey and traveling album. Almost every song had some brief, memorable melody in it - but overall some tracks are forgettable or could use a bit more variety. There’s something alluring about it though - it’s simple and feels real and unpretentious. It just feels like you’re in a room hanging out with them playing.

So many amazing songs. One of the best albums across all genre.

fun rootsy album. lucinda has a compelling voice and her songwriting is very evocative. everything here is very nice to listen to. i did enjoy it, however, there wasn't anything here that i was absolutely over the moon for. it's a good album, but didn't really give me anything that made me feel it was a great album.

Ja....

3 stars

First off, great album cover, I really love how wholesome and nostalgic this cover is even though I’ve never been there. But with that out of the way the album didn’t blow me away, but I was super interested in the artist herself. It inspired me to look deeper into her as an artist as a whole and she seems like a super cool cat. My favorite songs on the album are drunken angel, 2 kool 2 be 4-gotten, and can’t let go. Honestly this album would probably be higher on my list if I could tolerate country for long periods of time. But this album was nearly a full hour long and that’s just a lot of country for me.

Sheryl Crow at home

C o u n t r y. okurrrr.

Perfect country album delivered with a marvellous Lurleen Lumpkin drawl and tight backing. Like driving through an unremarkable American small town, grabbing someone at random with your eyes closed and asking their story.

De los típicos ''chabona le canta a la ruta'' esta es la más rescatable... y eso es mucho decir porque igual no me gustó mucho. Nota: 2.6

Not the best country/folk album. Found it boring and annoying at times. Would not like to return to it.

Garbage alternate country. Couldn't imagine a scenario where I'd want to listen to this. Not backpacking, not riding a horse, not driving down a dirt road in a pickup truck, and certainly not doing anything else where I wouldn't want my day ruined. Only thing keeping it from a 1 Star is how truly awful some other albums are.

This is how modern country should sound. It is not slick, as so much '90s and beyond country is, no over-produced pop sheen. It is well played and sounds like a real band with Lucinda Williams's world-weary voice sitting over dobros and fiddles, americana, r&b influenced, earthy music.

Not my thing!

More country, class. I think I did genuinely like about 15% of this, there were bits of songs that were more indie than country where Lucinda's voice suited the song. By and large though, usual tropes, some very obvious rhymes and just a generally well trodden sound.

Incredibly soporific and middle-of-the-road. Her voice is whiny. Uses the exact same phrasing, rhythm, tempo, and instrumentation for over half the songs on the album. Mentions angels a lot. Sounds like a free demo.

Never heard of Lucinda and I was worried when I saw it was country... However, I will say this perhaps had a bit more to it than some of the country we've had. Don't get me wrong, there were large parts of it that were really unimaginative and dull, but there was the odd bit that wasn't too bad..... Perhaps I've just been watching too much Yellowstone?

Not too bad. Gets a little too twangy for me though.

3.5

[3.5]

Lucinda, I'm sorry nobody told you this any sooner, but you cannot sing.

Country with a tinge of 90's indie rock. This was fine, but there is a good reason I've never heard of this.

New to me and I like it.

ээ ну это звучит как оно и ожидается, как современный кантри альбом, хз, может для американцев, которые в целом любят кантри и хотят продолжение жанра это ок, но мне ваще побоку. голос реально звучит странно, не в миксе как будто да и иногда не очень звучит хорошо по нотам… везде одинаковые соло, и барабанные сбивки, блин ее голос бы хорошо подошел для какого то альтернативного рока… 3 песня даже более менее, дранкен ангел тоже прик пока не появляется гармошка. она конечно дает вайба алекса жи, но все еще вайб кантри

This started out dreadfully boring, but I actually ended up liking it at the end. There are some really good songs on here with “Drunken Angel,” “Metal Firecracker,” and “Joy” being my favorites, along with “Can’t Let Go,” which reminds me of my best friend. It does drone at times and is a bit the same throughout, but there is also a good amount to enjoy here as well.

I quite liked this, I normally find country a bit twee but prefer something like this with grittier and more personal songwriting. This is also a bit bluesy, it works with the subject matter. She has a great voice and although I don't find it groundbreaking, it stands out as an edgier and sexier album than a lot of the country on this list

Passionate vocals, sweet general vibe. Vocally she reminds me so much of Sheryl Crow.

Belanglos. Ich bleibe bei Sheryl Crow because it makes me happy :)

This was lovely. The raw sound of rural heartbreak and bitter disappointment. Think I need to check it out again

Absolutely fine Not my thing Not a genre I like But good voice, okay songs. Fine

Correcto

I have always thought Lucinda Williams seemed pretty sweet. Definitely has some very good songs, but might not be fully for me. That being said this album was great and I really enjoyed it, and it's obviously excellent.

Very country. Her voice is pretty nice. The first few tracks were not catching my interest. Can’t let go and I Lost It were more my speed. I appreciate this for what it is, but not my genre

All time classic. I’m a sucker for country/folk with female vocals, and this checks all the boxes. Amazing singing. Guitar playing that borders on late-90s Midwest emo. Every song is a stand out.

Interesting Alt Country/Americana album. Highlights include Can't Let Go, Still I long For Your Kiss and Joy. Right in Time was also good.

Not for me but not terrible.

Pleasant, but not overly special. Love the album cover though. Kind of summarises this music well - cosy, but nothing out of the ordinary.

2.5

earlier i said you should use Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger to introduce your friend to country. i think that if that doesn't work, you should invariably use "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road". Lucinda isn't the most energetic or impressive singer in country, you might even hate her voice, but she's got the passion. in my opinion, passion's what matters in the genre. you can say whatever you want, sure, tell what ever story you have in your head, but do you mean it with your heart? i get the feeling Lucinda Williams does. this whole album makes me wanna sob at a bar.

So yesterday, in my review of the Joe Ely record, I wrote how about how the traditionalism found in country music doesn’t resonate with me. “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road” suffers less from adherence to traditionalism and presents a more modern take on country, in a sort of an alt-country-ish way. The traditionalism isn’t fully erased, it wouldn’t be country music if it were, but it’s light enough that this record is more palatable for me. Overall, this is a solid album. I like Lucinda Williams’ voice and the instrumentation is engaging. It hasn’t converted me into a country music fan and I’m not sure I really get the high critical praise for this record, but at the same time, country music isn’t for me, so I don’t feel like I can really say that it is or isn’t an important record in the canon of country music.

Det var ok men inte mycket mer, gillar de mer "swamp-rockiga" bitarna mer än det som var mer country typ. Nice gitarrsound. 2 av 5.

Colocaria tranquilamente esse disco para tocar enquanto pego tranquilamente uma estrada ensolarada em direção à praia!

Less talk about killing your wife this time around, immediate improvement over ol’ Dwighty. I like this, some yodelling vibrato in there which I always like to hear. Every word in the title 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten actively makes me angry. Might rewrite ‘Lake Charles’ to be ‘he was from Waitrose’ and it’s about a posho at uni who won’t shut up about how much money they have. 2 songs added to my playlist, 5 added to the 1001

I don't know how many people worked on the 1001 albums list, but as an individual, if you asked me to name the top 1001 of anything I'd struggle. Sure, I could compile the list, but the further I'd get from my all-time favourites, the more I'd have less of a strong opinion, to a point of almost indifference. That's what "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road" feels like: One of the albums sitting at the bottom of the pile, shoveled in purely because it was to hand and the editors fairly enjoyed at least most of it. If an attempt at objectivity, surely there must be better country albums? The whole way through, the album sits in the middle-of-the-(gravel)-road by a deviation of picometres. Nothing terrible, nothing good. Bland.

Interesting start on this with (to paraphrase) 'You're good at having sex with me'. The drums on 2 Kool sound eerily similar to the drums on Dani California. I mean the actual drums though, not Chad Smith. (I looked it up and the link here is Rick Rubin) I may just be overthinking this though. Can't get over that song name though. Big fan of it sticking out like a sore thumb in the track list. Kinda loses some steam by the end but that may just be me not being a huge country fan. I liked it though and there's a few songs I added to my rotation I reckon I'll come back to this when I get a country itch. Instrumentally it's interesting, some sick guitars on this, and I'm a much bigger fan of Lucinda's style of singing compared to other country artists. Highlight: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.

I really enjoyed the album. Though I had a worrying moment midway through the second song were I realised it was country. Made me realise how much I don't focus on music.

A couple of good tunes choked within a swatch of mediocre songs. 2/5

Love this shit. That’s all country folk

Damn, never heard of her but I loved this

what can i say ... this couldn't be more in my wheelhouse if it tried. I LOVE lucinda williams and her music means a lot to me even tho shes such a new addition to my life!

This is the 33rd album I’m rating. I think I’ve seen the cover and heard about it but that was probably years ago in a dark alley. So I don’t know what to expect. Adding to my Playlist - Right in Time, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, 2 Kool 2 be 4-Gotten, Drunken Angel, Concrete and Barbed Wire, Lake Charles, Can’t Let Go, I Lost It, Metal Firecracker, Greenville, Still I Long for Your Kiss, Joy, and Jackson. Not Adding to my Playlist - Nothing. Right in Time - This is good but I’m expecting that singing to get annoying. Drunken Angel - I’m sorry I said that this singing is incredible. Weirdly this made me smile but it’s just too good. Can’t Let Go - I hate to agree with the Grammys but this is great and the best song on the album. Still I Long for Your Kiss - Fantastic and a contender for best song on the album. Probably best song on the album. Joy - This album just gets better and better. This is definitely a contender for best song. All in all I liked 13/13 songs. If not for this list I might not’ve ever listened to this album. This is a top 10 album of all time for me maybe even top 5 but either way I love this album. Fuck it I’m putting it top 5. It is just so good.

On first play, what boring pap, util you get to "Joy". What a great track. Brilliant five star. Shame the singer can't sing. If fact she sounds bored to death singing that boring pap. Def time for some singing lessons. And some enthusiasm. And mibbie a new songwriter. After a few more plays, some of it is growing on me, slightly. Still boring pap, but acceptable boring pap. And she still needs singing lessons.

1.6 1x

Maybe it's great songwriting but my uneducated self got bored.

Too country. A few decent songs in there.

Right In Time - 4/5 Car Wheels On A Gravel Road - 4/5 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten - 4/5 Drunken Angel - 4/5 Concrete And Barbed Wire - 2/5 Lake Charles - 3/5 Can't Let Go - 5/5 I Lost It - 3/5 Metal Firecracker - 3/5 Greenville - 3/5 Still I Long For Your Kiss - 2/5 Joy - 1/5 Jackson - 4/5 Average score: 3.2/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ country is a very hit-or-miss genre for me (i tend to like older country over modern). regardless, this was fairly standard for me. had some solid tracks, had some duds i will say, i like her as a vocalist. she sounds like a blend of Sheryl Crow and Liz Phair to me

A bit too country for me, but overall quite nice. 6/10

Ihan kivaa modernia kantrirokkia. Ei paljon muuta sanottavaa tästä. Parhaat: Right In Time, Lake Charles, Still I Long For Your Kiss

Lucinda straddles a very fine line between the personal, alt-country full of character and generic country-rock made for camper commercials. On the one hand, her voice is very distinct; on the other hand, the guitars and drums sound like they come right out of the cookie-cutter box; on the other other hand, the accordeon adds some unique flavour... etc.

A good song

No la había oído nunca y fue grata la dirpresa

Meh

Good album if going through a break-up. Enjoyed the music style, indie, blues, country vibes.

Made it halfway through song 6 - couldn’t take it any more. Awful voice, dull as dirt.

Слушал 3 часа назад и уже забыл о чем это

This is OK in parts. She has a good voice. But it's just really not my thing.

2+

She still longs for his kiss, I long for the album to end.

Car Wheels On A Gravel Road ist ein Album voller Authentizität und Tiefe. Es verbindet emotionalen Tiefgang mit musikalischer Finesse und bleibt auch über zwei Jahrzehnte nach seiner Veröffentlichung ein Referenzwerk im Americana-Genre. Ein absolutes Muss für Fans von ehrlicher und handgemachter Musik.

This is kinda nice alt-country, songer/songwriter stuff. Something about Lucinda Williams voice sounds intensely familiar, like I've been listening to her all my life, despite this being my first listen. William's delivery is so perfect that I almost believe her on "2 Kool 2 Be 4-gotten". This is one I'll keep coming back to every once in a while.

Decent 90s country/pop/rock

Ok. One of the most 90s albums I've ever heard. Made me want to drive a pickup in the Midwest with some bud heavies though. If you're not american I bet you hated this. Way too long though. 3 stars although probably more like 2.5

This grew on me. Like a cyst.

Låter faktiskt som ett album som är som bäst spelad i bilen då man kör på någon grusväg mitt i natten. Skön vibe

Chill country-folk-rock. Enjoyable when you're sitting outside in the lawn with a cup of summer wine. Unfortunately I'm never that kind of person, so it's just a 2.5-3/5 to me.

This was a pleasant enough blend of country and blues. I had never heard of her before and she has popped up on multiple lists - I can see that this is pretty influential on a lot of the current crop of singer-songwriter country folk stuff that is very popular, but I wasn't blow away by it.

Meh

Not great

Not bad but honestly all the songs just blended together to a point where it ended up being background music. I don't know much about americana/country but I know that this is way too slick for my taste. I had the feeling of being in a Parasuco tv ad.

It's not bad per se, but I don't really get how it's considered to be different from the countless country stuff out there.

Hey, that album wasn't that bad after all. Instead of being the over-produced country albums from the 80s/90s, it was more slacker filled with a natural and heartfelt sentiment than what I expected. Cool stuff!

There's something about Lucinda that I really enjoy. 3.5 stars.

I feel like I don't love America enough to enjoy this album properly.

Well it sure does sound country darlin'

Not offensive in any way. Just kind of boring. Might take a random song here or there, but a whole album just blends together

Not ultra unique and does not veer far from safety. Some songs were nice enough but many were repetitive. Not a very engaging listen. 2/5

Car Wheels on a Gravel Road is a charmingly gruff affair, a ceaselessly great showcase for Lucinda Williams as she touts out tales of travel and love either fulfilled, lost or misplaced. There is nary a wasted note on here and is worthy of a continued listen.

She’s travel a lot of places looking for Joy. Don’t we all Lucinda… don’t we all!

Giving this a two because I swear the title song put me into a fugue state where I just heard the title chorus over and over for 15 minutes

Really ended up loving this one. Great storytelling and just chill vibes. Saved a lot of songs to my playlists.

I liked this a lot. Can’t put my finger on which early 2000s singer this reminded me of, but brought me back to that time

Beginning of album sounded very Sheryl Crow but further in feels almost like a Janis Joplin meets Lilith Fair style.

Sheryl Crow but more boring

This was an alright background listen, the album was not too bad but nothing too exciting as well. I think that it had a bit of an outdated sound, given that it came out in 1998, so I thought that maybe Lucinda Williams would have been popular 20-30 years prior to that, but it's actually this album that was her breakthrough.

It was nice but can't help thinking poor man's Sheryl crow

No shot I'm getting through this one Will I listen to again: 0%

Sure! I remember this one fairly well. I have it on CD around here somewhere. Like a lot of albums from around this time, it might benefit from a Side 1 and a Side 2. Maybe the sequencing would be different? Regardless, a very worthy album.

One of my all time favourites. Chill country folk. Americana. Very melancholy. Voice can be a bit grating at times. But sets an immaculate mood.

Nah mid

Nahhhhhhhhhhhh

Had a couple decent songs, but isn’t for me.

If you were to walk into a dimly lit bar, order a beer, and someone where to have queued up a few songs of this on the jukebox, you’d feel right at home.

Pretty good sound

3/5

Pas si désagréable en background, mais insupportable dès que tu commence à écouter pour vrai

Lucinda Williams my beloved

Probably the best country rock that I've listened to. The front half of this is banger after banger and when she opens up with ballads midway through it makes them even more impactful. The imagery and lyricism is excellent but the hooks and instrumentation are great and fit right in. This album feels deeply personal and Williams puts so much of herself into the album. The closing tracks are slower and moodier but the album pacing works towards it and gets you invested earlier. To me this is exactly what country can be. It has elements of indie and rock but this softer side has a lot to offer too. It's really a 4 star album but I keep coming back to it and it's just too enjoyable.

I don't care about the content of her lyrics, but they feel authentic. Her straining voice loses its impact over the 51 minutes of the album. The songs are different enough to not lose interest, the production is great, instruments all sound clean. I'm not scraping for more, but this wasn't bad. It's better than modern country for sure.

Car Wheels on a Gravel Road Drunken Angel

It's country but with the most boring and basic lyrics imaginable!

I think that I really tried to find something that stuck out to me, but I failed. I can see why people want to listen to it but personally I was just mindlessly hearing it. It’s not something I would usually listen to and I definitely was interested at first, but nothing really swayed me into thinking oh yeah this is BIG. I wasn’t necessarily bored, but just left kind of unsurprised.

To each their own I suppose, but this kind of country vocal is rough for me to get through. I do like the title track I guess. I know of Lucinda Williams but ...after a few songs though I'm thinking is she not just a shitty singer? I don't even like the songs... Eh - not my most eloquent review but it's cold and i'm tired and this is just not good at all. The weak effort on the album cover and title are actually perfect. 3/10 2 stars.

Classic Americana performed flawlessly. This album evokes such a sense of nostalgia. Clean, simple, timeless. Love this entire album, but favorites are Right In Time, Can't Let Go and Joy.

3.5/5

1.7

Woman's got pipes!

depressing, sad, small town folk country music. It has its place, its one of those albums where the cover art captures the mood pretty well. Maybe if I were in the headspace for it, I'd enjoy it more. its okay, nothing groundbreaking, but nothing really stands out either.

If you told me this was a Sheryl Crow album with no hits on it I’d believe you. Ok “Can’t Let Go” is pretty good. But it’s mostly just sad songs about people’s sad lives

I did you a private session for Spotify as I don't want Spotify to think I have any interest in listening to contemporary country because I don't. It's derivative and bland. This album is no exception. I admit I was in a bad mood when I listened to this and probably am giving it a worse review because of it, but hey music should make me feel better, now more irritated.

Joy is a jam

Nothing bad just ain’t for me

Boring generic and forgettable

I'm a little shocked at how much of a banger this album is. Figured at nearly an hour of country there'd be some lull but all these songs are great!

Mellow, good instrumentation but a tad repetitive. Didnt strike anything in me per say. Best track - 2 cool 2 be 4 gotten

Some good, some not so good. Overall a pleasant folk album.

This album has a cool sound, but that sound is the same throughout the whole thing.

Gorgeous voice

generic country with a clear decline in song and lyric quality as the album went on

Fucking awful

This seemed to be a really long album because the songs were too repetitive and slow, and too mellow for my taste. There was nothing interesting going on. Country folk is really not my cup of tea.

Fav: Can’t Let Go Least Fav: Concrete And Barbed Wire I’m so glad the second half was better, that first half had me truly bored

not a bad album just a bit boring to me

didn’t listen super closely to lyrics but really, really liked the sound

Interesting lyrically but didn’t blow my mind

This is one of the records that set me on the Americana path. It checks all the boxes, the songs, the singing, musicians, the attention to detail in the production is incredible. Easily in my top 100 records. Also includes maybe the greatest song ever about female masturbation

Didn't really leave me with much of an impression.

Really surprised how this could be so up my alley but so not interesting...

Nice

Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road Second country album that I had ever listened, and it's decent, it's a very chill-back, relaxed album where it talks mostly about relatable topics from love, and overall it's consistency is what saves it from not being good. I would've liked if the entire album had the same energy as "Drunken Angel", that was sounds really good. 1.- Right in Time = 8/10 2.- Car Wheels on a Gravel Road = 8/10 3.- 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten = 7/10 4.- Drunken Angel = 8/10 5.- Concrete and Barbed Wire = 7/10 6.- Lake Charles = 7/10 7.- Can't Let Go = 8/10 8.- I Lost It = 8/10 9.- Metal Firecracker =7/10 10.- Greenville = 6/10 11.- Still I Long for Your Kiss = 8/10 12.- Joy = 6/10 13.- Jackson = 7/10 FINAL SCORE = 7.3/10

It was a real.y good album

Makes Sheryl Crow looks like the generic knockoff.

Well written and played country songs, 3/4 but going with a 4

Sehr seems cool, stimm isch weniger für mich. Vom Stil her chli zu wenig variiert für mich gschmack. Lyrisch defür super

Ist mir zu viel Country. Die Stimme gefällt mir nicht: Sehr luftig, hauchig und sie singt als hätte sie einen Kaugummi im Mund und oft zu tief. Ausserdem klingt sie für mich gelangweilt und durch das Kratzen und Hauchen, das sie mit der Stimme macht, pseudo-erregt. Allgemein hat das Album viele langweile Harmonien und langweilige Rhythmen und die Songs sind sehr repetitiv. Car Wheels on a gravel road finde ich noch am besten, etwas mehr rockig und ihre Stimme klingt mehr cool als bei den anderen Songs.

Ok erste song aaaa wieso isch d stimm so luut was??? Tweite song zimli cool, gueti drums Boaah ich han echt grad chli müeh. Ha so 90 er scheiss eifach nöd gern. I mein s songwriting isch voll easy, nöd mega spannend aber okay. Gfallt mer eifach mega nöd wies tönt He weiss nöd es isch irgendwie guet aber es het mer hert nöd gfalle. Bi tempted es zwei geh

bro es het alles glöscht ehmm uf jede fall -coole ahfang, v.a. 2 cool 2 be 4gotten ha i gern gha (INSANE CRINGE TITEL) und s erste lied - iwie druckt sie ihri stimm mengisch chli z fest? -ja die restliche ⅔ hani extrem langwilig gfunde, greenville oder so hani GHASST das isch es so. so knapp lupfts de erst drittel uf es 3 aber würkli knäbbe

No es para mi

-ended up liking this so much more than I thought I would. It makes me wanna romanticize the hell out of America, even some place like Oklahoma -I love her voice so much, especially on Can’t Let Go which I’ve listened to like 1000 times. Some of the songs were a little less exciting but it was still pretty nice throughout -Favorites are Drunken Angel and Can’t Let Go

General impression: pro-level folk-country Detailed review: I wanted to be harsh on this because I’m on a streak of 4s and that’s really boring. But this album is just so professionally and capably made that I can’t help but be charmed by it. The last third is my favorite - “Joy” is a really cool song. And the production and recording quality is just so pristine. Deeper thoughts (context): Lucinda Williams walked so Waxahatchee could run, or something cool sounding Score: 3.9 Number of albums left to review: 944 Number of albums from the list I’d consider “must-listens”: 34 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 23

I'm sure I've heard Lucinda before, but this is my first time knowingly listening to her. I think this is stellar. This type of 70's Laurel Canyon Americana is all right by me and it's about as Country as I want to get. There's a Neil Young/Sheryl Crow/Tom Waits vocal delivery in some melodies that I find really enjoyable. This album is a find. Sidenote; I try to only read 5 star reviews. It's nice to read how these albums have had a positive impact on peoples lives. Music is great.

This walked the line of not quite too country for me to listen to for a while, but fell off about halfway through. I’m sure it’s influential but it’s not for me

A pretty good album, I liked Right In Time, Can't Let Go and Metal Firecracker.

That was painful to listen to

this is a low 3, almost a 2, not that i think this is bad but it is not my style at all, however i recognize that a lot of the songs were actually objectively not bad, but it is a low 3 for me personally

Pre-listening thoughts: country but woman! Maybe it’ll be okay Post/during listening thoughts: yeah this is good. It’s country so it’s not my favorite but there are some good moments on here. I did find myself getting into this more than I thought I would. Women just do it better sorry. 6.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: no Fav tracks: Right In Time, Lake Charles, Can’t Let Go, Jackson Least fav tracks: None

Dear God please let this end. I am not enjoying this. I do not like her voice. The instrumentals are okay. I'm sure this is for someone, but not for me. It probably should be at 2, but I'm not having a good time so here is my first 1 out of 5 stars.

As Randy Jackson once said "Yeah, that's gonna be a no from me, dawg"

🤠

I can't say I have any memory of his album or artist, reading the Wiki sounds like it was a big deal it just never really made it to the UK I guess. I get Meredith Brooks vibes from it. At the start I didn't think I would enjoy this record but it turns out I was wrong. Stand out tracks: - Car wheels on a gravel road - 2 Kool 2 be 4-gotten - Note I do not like the way this is written! - Concrete and barbed wire - Lake Charles - Can't let go - I lost it - Still I long for your kiss - Jackson

I listened to this two or three times, not because I loved it, but because I was sure there was something worthwhile there that I was missing. After multiple listens I am pretty sure that my first impressions were correct: this is a fairly standard country music singer-songwriter. It's absolutely fine but undistinguished. I suppose it's not really the sort of thing I usually listen to, but I'm not sure if just being a representative of basic country music qualifies this as being an album I have to listen to before I die. I think I could have died happy without hearing this. Drunken Angel is the best track, feels like it's real, and the jarring juxtaposition of the two title words is a good summary of the whole song.

I lined it more than I thought I would.

This was one of those albums my parents insisted on buying and listening to on repeat, intent on believing it was quintessential alt rock, not just autistic Sheryl Crow. Forced to listen to the legions of similar artists from this era, I'd sooner hear Liz Phair's music than Lucinda Williams. I suppose it doesn't need to be said, but this is one of the albums that make me feel temporarily deflated and cynical about 1001 Best Albums. Like why am I hearing Lucinda Williams before any other 90s women musicians? Surely there are enough albums from Lauryn Hill, Mariah Carey, No Doubt, Sonic Youth, and dozens more, that bump out Lucinda Williams. Oh, I just wiki-ed her, I guess she's pretty prolific. Sorry, she just sounds like a silly goose to me.

It started off pop and veered into country pretty fast. Eh, doesn't do much for me. Her voice is kind of grating and drunk sounding. I do enjoy some of the guitar work.

I'd expect to like this a lot more than I do.

Bit repetitive etc for me

I didn’t hate it!

Favorite Track: Lake Charles

Fine. Not bad. Feels a little dated.

Love me some Lucinda Williams, this album is probably her best. I’m freaking the fuck out right now so nothing else to say.

As those of you reading this may be unsurprised to hear: I really liked this. It’s not my first listen, it won’t be my last.

Listed on Apple as Rock but clearly country. This album cover is awesome too, reminds me of deer camp. I really enjoyed this album! I enjoyed the country elements and it fusing with rock. Glad this was on the list, especially in these final weeks as I'm hoping for more American albums I haven't heard before.

Country selected for this list is so hit or miss, and this one's right in between for me. Not good enough that I think it should be here, but not bad enough that I disliked it. A couple good songs, the rest just forgettable. I'd remove it from the list, but it's decent enough. Just a strange pick. Favorite tracks: Right in Time, Can't Let Go, Joy. Album art: Picture of a house with, yep, you guessed it, a gravel road or driveway leading up to it. Looks very DIY, not necessarily a bad thing. The font being a little jumbled is cool. 3/5

Alright

When I started this project a friend told me his theory that people mostly like music associated with happy memories. This album debunks that for me because it does remind me of it playing at a beloved former workplace but I still don’t really like it.

Right in Time was such an awesome song and set my bar so high. The rest of the album was pretty good, but nowhere near that level. Still enjoyed and will listen again in the future.

Americana through and through with a tangy kinda of gets annoying voice… 2 kool 2 be 4-gotten is funny and so is concrete and barbed wire. Lots to be forgotten tho…

Overwhelmingly average in an incredible way. Very transportive to the scenes she conjures up in each and every song. If you start the other way by viewing just the scene, surely these songs are what is playing in the back 3.5/5

10/29/24. Very sweet sounding and nice album! A mix of country, roots, and folk, and Lucinda has a pleasant voice. Haven't heard this one before today, but will definitely revisit.

Car Wheels on a Gravel Road is one of those albums that feels perfectly fine but doesn’t quite break through. Listening to it, I can appreciate the music and Lucinda Williams’ voice—both are well-executed and undeniably pleasant. Still, the album feels almost like background noise, something I could enjoy more as part of a film soundtrack than as a standalone listen. There’s a subtlety to Williams’ work here that might be impactful in the right setting, yet, track by track, everything blends together into a sort of “nice, whatever” vibe. The songs are consistent in tone and quality but maybe a bit too consistent, to the point where it’s hard to pick one that really stands out or sticks. It’s not that anything is lacking per se; it’s just that the album as a whole never quite grabs my attention or pulls me in. Standout Song: None, really; they all feel like parts of the same backdrop. Score: 2/5

Favorite Track: Concrete And Barbed Wire

Really loved this vibe. Great singer great songs

fucking LOOONG….. country liz phair (and too country for me). honk shoo highlights: car wheels on a gravel road, can’t let go, jackson (jan 11 2025)

Feels more like it's on the country side of Americana, this album reeks of that 90s aesthetic, but lacks anything that makes those other albums, such as the Silver Jews, interesting. Just feels like a more tired version of what you'd hear on folk radio, and barely ever did Lucinda Williams' performance feel genuine enough to pull at any heart strings.

Quality akt-country Americana. Brilliant voice.

Pretty classic Americana/roots. Her voice does get a little bit annoying after a while.

Good folkish rock type stuff. Sometimes her voice gets a bit too … I don’t know, a bit too something, but for the most part a very solid album. Can’t Let Go has been on a heavy enough rotation on my Spotify for long enough I have to skip it half the time so I don’t get tired of it.

Love the lyrics, love the feel of being down south. The music has a little bit of swamp to it. This is so close to a five star album! Goes on for a little bit too long, the last few songs don’t quite hold up to the first 2/3, and the vocals become a bit repetitive/droning. But I could listen to the first half of this album over and over again-and probably will!

i thought it was pretty good lady folksy rock

This album may not sound fresh now, but coming in on the heels of the 90’s pop-country explosion, it was raw and gritty Americana that is one of the albums that marked a growing split between mainstream country and more rootsy country. This album, along with those form The Old 97s, Whiskeytown and a few others helps to pave the way (pun kind of intended) for Drive By Truckers, Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson and others. Putting aside its historical significance, it’s a great album that I still find compelling.

I'm not really a fan, but I can see how this has aspects of experimenting with Country music that lead to its current revival decades later.

There's nothing on this to keep my interest. Which is sad, since I usually like Americana. 2/5

Modern country…

Dit doet me denken aan iets anders, maar ik kan er niet helemaal de vinger op leggen. Waarschijnlijk gewoon Ilse de Lange ofzo, die zal haar trucje vast hiervan hebben afgekeken. En ons Shania natuurlijk. Ik kan niet zeggen dat ik hier enorm van kan genieten. Het is gewoon niet mijn muziek. De productie is wel super en klinkt lekker vol, wat toch een punt kan schelen. Ik schat in dat dit zich verhoudt tot country zoals Nickelback zich verhoudt tot hardrock. Ik kan hier wel een 3 voor geven. Je doet me hier in principe geen plezier mee, maar mocht het aanstaan terwijl ik toevallig bij de Longhorn veertien kilo spareribs met een grote emmer bier ernaast zit te inhaleren dan bedank ik God waarschijnlijk op m'n blote knietjes omdat ik zal beseffen dat het allemaal een stuk erger kan.

Not great to be honest. Voice is uninteresting, musicianship is straightforward as is the lyricism. One of many artists in exactly the same vane who churn out pretty standard stuff just like this.

Not for me

It's pretty good but not really my thing.

A marvellous collection of careworn songs from a life well-lived. Beautifully recorded, sensitively played, with wonderful vocals.

Pretty nice country music.

Tíundatugarcountry, fín rödd, ágætt band, mellem lög. Má alveg ganga í bakgrunni fyrir mér.

Simply Awesome! Loved this album and can’t believe I have never heard it before. I have heard of Lucinda Williams but didn’t know anything about her our her music. She’s Sheryl Crow, Brandi Carlisle, She is awesome. I will share this album with friends and listen to it again and again. Now I need to listen to more of here music.

Nothing revolutionary but a relaxing fun album to listen to. I would definitely listen to it again and her some more.

Car Wheels On A Gravel Road is fine, not the best middle of the road country we've had, not the worst, a decent voice and production, just not really memorable enough to want to listen again. It's like if beige picked up a guitar and moved to Louisiana. A high 2/low 3 sort of effort.

This was a nice easy listen - like Alanis Morissette on Prozac or something. Her voice is good, but not the most striking we've had, the music is nice but unremarkable, as are the stories. A low to middling 3.

This is #day52 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... it's a cold gloomy Sunday afternoon in late September... The artwork looks comfortingly promising, but, sadly, this is where it all ends. Underneath is some low-information country with pretty lame lyrics and a horrid delivery to boot. I would never even choose this as a background. Actually, I think playing music as a background is disrespectful toward the music itself. But this is not music. An album to listen to before you die? That's not even funny. How about joining the company of those 1 out of 5, and never hearing it again? Looking forward to #day53.

this album felt long but didn’t sound too bad

Decent songs probably won’t revisit

Didn’t mind this at all. Added some of these to my driving playlist

What a pleasant album.

Not my sort of thing. Her whiny voice was starting to annoy me by the end of the album.

Solid 4. Would listen again

2 kool 4 me. 3.

Inoffensively boring. Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 2/5

I had never heard any songs on this album, but I typically like alt country and this was no different. Enjoyed listening.

Vähän tasapaksu ja kiusallisen Alanis Morriseten kaltainen 2/5

Aika hyvä kantripoppislevy. 3.5/5, mut ei ehkä ihan nelonen.

A pleasant listen late in the evening, but not something I'm going to seek out again

Nicht meine Richtung

Baffling choice for this list, nothing at all remarkable about this. Singing in a very affected voice does grate after a while 2*

From the 16 tracks I liked 5...That is not so much. It is country....Not my thing. Sorry Lucinda.

The first big concert I went to was Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. I’d asked for tickets for my birthday, and my parents got us floor seats, something like row 6 or 8, center stage. Tom was fantastic, obviously. The opener was Lucinda Williams, touring Car Wheels. I was passingly familiar because my dad sometimes played the album in the car. I sadly don’t remember a lot about her set, because I was more anxiously awaiting Tom Petty; I do remember that Mike Campbell came out and played a song or 2 with her. Years later, as an adult, I rediscovered this album and began to fully appreciate & understand it. Growing up in Mississippi, I can appreciate a lot of aspects of this album; I often tell people that the title track sounds like my childhood (I literally lived on a gravel road). Suffice it to say, this album is a masterpiece & will always be near & dear to my heart. If you’ll excuse me now, I’m gonna go to West Memphis & look for my joy.

Going too far into the direction of country. Not my taste... At first I thought it would be something else, since the vocal was a bit different than usual country, but nah...

Coulda been gooder. Joy kinda woke me up near the end, reminded me of The Pretty Reckless. Just a bit

I have some amount less than 584000 hours spent awake left in my life and wasting even just 1 hour on listening to this brings me great anxiety

Didn't mind it at all.

A couple of passable tracks towards the end but was otherwise a bit of a chore to get through

A good solid alt-country rock album from Lucinda Williams that shows that you don't have to love country to enjoy her music. I can see the similarities in vocal styles to someone like Canadian, Kathleen Edwards, who clearly is influenced by her music. The songs are all fine and though Williams isn't the most consistent artist, I would consider, Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, one of the highlights of her career.

can't rate it any higher

Background music. Nothing worth noting

Lucinda Williams is the GOAT!

This was actually so nice ! 3.5 Favs: Car wheels on a gravel road Drunken Angel I lost it Joy

A gorgeous album, I loved the 90s twist on country - a lovely album for autumn - 3.5/5 Standout tracks: - Right in time 4/5 - Car wheels on a gravel road 4/5 - Jackson 4/5

Very stereotypical country album. Drinking loss heartache cheating etc etc. ok shes a decent songwriter, voice isnt terrible but there isnt much here to stand out from every other country album of the time.

Her voice was very inconsistent. Thr only song I really liked was Can't Let Go. It was upbeat and fun.

This album was ok but I’m not sure why professional critics are so high on it. I found the way her drawl comes and goes depending on the song to be particularly off-putting. Her voice and in-tuness seemed to come and go too. Her songwriting seemed clumsy at times. Metaphors like metal firecracker, concrete and bar wire, and the title song didn’t work for me. 2.4

Straight garbage. Another reminder a stunning amount of people fuckin love boring uninspired modern country.

Slightly above average

An interesting listen - an amalgamation of Leeann Rhimes and Alanis Morrisette with a sprinkling of Suzanne Vega - what is not to like

Personally like her earlier stuff a little better. This album sounds a bit more polished. It's good but nothing to get overly excited about it.

This record is hit or miss. The good songs (hits) work well with talented musicians and Williams’ twangy, slightly drunk sounding vocals. The misses are tortuous (Joy).

This was alright. Not sure i'd listen to it again.

I found this to be perfectly forgettable background music. I thought I was listening to Sheryl Crow at one point, until. And then when this album was over, Sheryl Crow was the first artist that came on afterwards based on sonic sounds. There's nothing wrong here, her voice is pleasant enough, the music is fine. But nothing is compelling me to run back and listen again, either.