Essence (Lucinda Williams album)
| Essence | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Essence (album).jpg | ||||
| Studio album by Lucinda Williams | ||||
| Released | June 5, 2001 | |||
| Genre | Americana, Alternative country | |||
| Length | 50:58 | |||
| Label | Lost Highway | |||
| Producer | Bo Ramsey Tom Tucker Lucinda Williams |
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| Lucinda Williams chronology | ||||
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Essence is Lucinda Williams' sixth album. It was released in 2001. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 28, selling about 44,500 copies in its first week.[1] According to Billboard as of February 2008, the album had sold 336,000 copies in the U.S.[2]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (82/100) [3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
| The A.V. Club | (favorable) [5] |
| Robert Christgau | A− [6] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ [7] |
| Rolling Stone |  [8] |
| Spin | (8/10) [9] |
Essence was highly anticipated coming after a three-year gap from her lauded Car Wheels on a Gravel Road and the critical reviews reflect that. Although positive, none rate the album as highly as her breakthrough. Robert Christgau, who raved about Car Wheels, called the album "imperfect" but still praised her artistry saying "[she] is too damn good to deny."[6] Reviewers noted the difference in tone between the two albums with Rolling Stone citing the "willful intimacy" of the music[8] while Spin contrasted its "halting, spare" presentation with Car Wheels "giddy, verbose" one.[9] In a review posted by Salon the album was called "an emotional mess of a masterpiece".[10]
Q listed Essence as one of the best 50 albums of 2001.[11]
Personnel on the album include Tony Garnier and Charlie Sexton, best known as part of Bob Dylan's live backing band at the time. The album also features session drummer Jim Keltner.
Track listing
(All songs by Lucinda Williams)
- "Lonely Girls" – 4:01
- "Steal Your Love" – 3:14
- "I Envy the Wind" – 3:12
- "Blue" – 3:52
- "Out of Touch" – 5:25
- "Are You Down" – 5:24
- "Essence" – 5:50
- "Reason to Cry" – 3:39
- "Get Right With God" – 4:16
- "Bus to Baton Rouge" – 5:50
- "Broken Butterflies" – 5:41
Personnel
- Lucinda Williams – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Jim Keltner – drums
- Tony Garnier – bass, acoustic guitar
- Bo Ramsey – electric guitar
- Charlie Sexton – drums, hand drum, rhythm guitar, Hammond B3 organ, piano, background vocals, tremolo slide guitar
- Reese Wynans – Hammond B3 organ
- Jim Lauderdale – harmony vocals
Additional musicians:
- David Mansfield – viola
- Ryan Adams – tremolo guitar ("Essence")
- Gary Louris – background vocals ("Essence")
- Joy Lynn White – background vocals ("Get Right With God", "Bus to Baton Rouge", "Broken Butterflies")
References
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- ↑ Deming, Mark. Essence at AllMusic. Retrieved 10 August 2005.
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- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Posted May 1, 2001.
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