Victoria Williams: Water to Drink (Atlantic)
Occasionally flaky, frequently warm and inspired, Victoria Williams remains an odd figure on the popular music landscape. At her best her music evokes the richness of southern American rural culture, intimate reflections packaged in delightful light folksy melodies. This was the case on her minor classic, 1998's Musings of a Creekdipper, in which her honest approach laid bare a heart nourished by love despite a body ravaged by illness. Water to Drink is not quite in the same class, though it does attest to her will to live - and, what's more, to enjoy life. If the mood is one of affirmation, the music is more complex, ranging from jazzy covers to lite funk workouts, from sweeping character studies to giddy love songs. All, however, are infused with her characteristic girlish flair and appealing hippie-dippieness.
- Joe Breen
Peter Case: Flying Saucer Blues (Vanguard)
Case was once romantically entangled with Ms Williams (she has since married Mark Olson, formerly of the Jayhawks), but that was some time ago. Case has since fallen off my radar screen but judging by this robust set he has made some serious progress in the interim. This is a confident and accomplished collection of modern blues tunes written in a variety of styles from gospel to swing, from Texas to the Delta. Yet this is no academic exercise. These songs are living, breathing, humorous tales of a life lived to the full. He gets some assured support from an excellent (almost) all acoustic band, featuring strong performances from players such as string whiz Greg Leisz and producer Andrew Williams. Check out the opening Paradise Etc; the pace rarely drops from there to the closing This Could Be the One.
- Joe Breen