Live@The Fillmore: Lucinda Williams

What a better way to celebrate her birthday than to use this as a reminder of her great live recording.
Live @ The Fillmore is Lucinda Williams' eighth album, and her first live album. Recorded at The Fillmore in San Francisco over three nights in November 2003 it was eventually released in 2005 . With the selection dominated by recent material, the first eight numbers are like a sweet ache, as the wistful country of "Ventura" and "Reason to Cry" and the folkish minimalism of "Lonely Girls" explore the fringes of emotional fragility. Then Williams and band flex their musical muscles, shifting into the bluesier side of her artistry on "Change the Locks" and "Atonement," extending the desperate intensity of "Joy" over almost eight minutes, and offering homage to Neil Young's Crazy Horse on "Righteously" and "Essence." Backed by the barbed-wire guitar of Doug Pettibone over the bare-bones rhythms of bassist Taras Prodaniuk and drummer Jim Christie, Williams tells the crowd, "We got the mojo workin' tonight."
This was the group that we first saw at the Shepherds Bush Empire, and it a shame she has abandoned them. Pettibone's guitar playing is one of the finest I have had the pleasure to see and hear. Not only a great series of performances but technically a superbly recorded piece of work. I know I am biased but this is one of the greatest live album recordings you are likely to come across.
9.5/10

In the autumn of 2007, Williams announced an unprecedented series of shows in Los Angeles and New York. Playing five nights in each city, it was the first time a major artist would perform her entire catalog on consecutive nights. These albums include the self titled Lucinda Williams, Sweet Old World, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Essence, and World Without Tears. Since these shows, other artists have imitated this idea in different variations, but to date no else has accomplished this exact feat. Each night also featured a second set with special guest stars. Some of the many special guests included Steve Earle, Allison Moorer, Emmylou Harris and David Byrne. In addition, each night's album set was recorded and made available to the attendees that night.