New Lucinda Williams Album, Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone, to Be Released September 30, 2014

In a press release issued this afternoon, Lucinda Williams confirmed what she has been saying from the stage for the past several months: the new album, Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone, will released on September 30 on her own label Highway 20 Records, in conjunction with Thirty Tigers. It will be a double CD set and perhaps a triple (or quadruple?) LP set. It will be her first album since the 2011 Blessed. Her groundbreaking 1988 Rough Trade album was re-released in a special edition package earlier this year.

The tracks included on the new album were recorded late 2013 and early 2014 with about half being rock oriented and the other half country flavored. A substantial number of tracks — enough for another record — were recorded with Bill Frisell. During the recording, it was anticipated that it would be a double album or two separate albums, as Tom Overby said they both were very pleased with the results. In other words, no filler. However, last month Tom said in a note that it would be definitely be the former and the tracks recorded with Frisell would be released as a separate album, early in 2015.

But the press release indicates that Frisell is on some of these tracks. Tony Joe White and Ian McLagan are on the record, as well as Pete Thomas (drums) and Davey Faragaher (bass) (both from Elvis Costello’s band). Rounding out the recording is Wallflowers guitarist Stuart Mathis, who has been touring with Lucinda since at least last September, and longtime bandmates Butch Norton and David Sutton. Jakob Dylan does a duet with Lucinda on  “It’s Gonna Rain.”  The album was produced by Tom, Lucinda, and Greg Leisz. 

Lucinda wrote 18 of the 20 songs, with “Compassion” beginning its life as a poem by Miller Williams, her father, the poet, with Lucinda providing the music and additional lyrics. The press release further states: “This is a personal milestone for Williams as it marks the first time she has composed music for one of her father’s poems, and it is from that song that the album title was taken.” However, Lucinda’s longtime fans will recall father and daughter have “collaborated” before. The last time being in March 2000 at the International Poetry Forum in Pittsburgh that featured Miller Williams reading his poetry and alternating with Lucinda and guitarist Bo Ramsey performing her songs. It was a memorable evening: “Poetry Written, Poetry Sung.”

The album also features a cover of JJ Cale’s “Magnolia.”

Finally, along with the press release, Lucinda’s social media folks sent out electronic “flyers” requesting that fans chime in on which of the above two album covers they’d prefer. 

The ‘Burning Bridges’ video was shot in March 2014 during a Bluegrass Underground taping.

Disc One Tracks:

Compassion
Protection
Burning Bridges
East Side Of Town
West Memphis
Cold Day In Hell
Foolishness
Wrong Number
Stand Right By Each Other
It’s Gonna Rain

Disc Two Tracks:

Something Wicked This Way Comes
Big Mess
When I Look At The World
Walk On
Temporary Nature (Of Any Precious Thing)
Everything But The Truth
This Old Heartache
Stowaway In Your Heart
One More Day
Magnolia