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Lucinda Williams

It’s been almost 10 years since Lucinda Williams issued Car Wheels on a Gravel Road and—looking back a decade on—it has proven a record that not only has sustained its greatness but has perhaps even bettered with time. It came six years after her previous release, and Williams keyed each note and lyric with a perfectionist’s ear. Her voice and lyrics were the album’s stars, but she was also keen in handpicking contributing players like Emmylou Harris, Charlie Sexton and then boyfriend Gurf Morlix, as well as getting production touches from Rick Rubin, Steve Earle and Roy Bittan. The Grammy-winning record is a perfectly crafted gem of country rock, a raw, unafraid statement about love and personal redemption, a triptych of the Southern USA. Late last year saw an expanded deluxe edition, further distinguishing Car Wheels as a modern masterpiece of country rock. Lucinda may never make another like it and that’s okay. Look no further than her brand new album, West (Lost Highway), for proof. West is downbeat and often dark but nonetheless engaging. Culled from what she calls her most creative period as a writer, it echoes of tumult and loss, from the homespun austerity of the ode “Mama You Sweet” to the smoldering dirge “Unsuffer Me.” Williams rocks here too with the Crazy Horse-like combustion “Come On.” Buffalo finally gets to delight in a long overdue headline show from Ms. Williams as she takes the stage at UB’s Center for the Arts

this Wednesday with specialguest Carrie Rodriguez.

Wednesday, April 18 at 8pm. UB Center for the Arts, North Campus, Amherst (645-ARTS)

www.ubcfa.org. $35 general-$25 students