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Victoria Williams
Musings Of A Creek Dipper
(Atlantic)
On her first record of new material since her 1994 breakthrough Loose, Victoria Williams sings with the same mixture of child-like innocence and ancient wisdom which made that album so endearing. There are no alterna-rock guests or cover tunes this time, but Musings Of A Creek Dipper proves Williams is confident in her songwriting, as she displays unabashed sentimentality towards the ordinary things of life. Tracks like “Train Song” and “Last Word” throw drum loops and a little vocal distortion into the folkie mix, and are among the album’s rewarding moments. Unfortunately, that list is short, partly because the arrangements are at times so delicate that they lack any sort of focus and threaten to fall apart at any time. Williams’ lyrics are sort of a diary of daydreams, and without any musical backbone they are hard to connect with. Still, it’s hard not to pull for anyone that is so earnest and utterly human. Her show at the intimate Pres House (on March 29) will hopefully add some zest to her new material.
Mike Bümm |
