Track Listing

1. Lafayette
2. I Lost It
3. Maria
4. Happy Woman Blues
5. King of Hearts
6. Rolling Along
7. One Night Stand
8. Howlin' at Midnight
9. Hard Road
10. Louisiana Man
11. Sharp Cutting Wings (Song to a Poet)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8756 in Music
• Released on: 1992-07-13
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Happy Woman Blues is the first recording to establish Lucinda as a songwriter of note. Lucinda's country and blues roots are evident throughout these compositions, and are off-set by her fresh, contemporary treatment. Liner notes by renowned critic John Morthland offer a passionate glimpse into the mind and career of this truly original artist.

Amazon.com
All too often dismissed as an immature work that was quickly eclipsed by her self-titled breakthrough on Rough Trade, Williams's second and final album for Folkways reveals much about her current lyrical sensibility and vocal approach. Most singer-songwriters, in fact, would give their Martins for songs as good as "Lafayette" and "Maria." That she reprises "I Lost It" on Car Wheels on a Gravel Road and continues to explore this album's themes--the value of native ground and the endurance of loss--is enough evidence that, while not as overwhelming as the work to come, Happy Woman Blues should not be overlooked by fans of this vital artist. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews

First-takes - Warts and All.
Happy Women Blues was my first exposure to the authentic and classic musicianship of Lucinda Williams. What I first suspected was a recording from perhaps the nineteen-fifties, was in fact produced during 1980. Happy Women Blues is a trip back in time to campfire sessions, small town gatherings and country fairs. This collection of folk, country and hillbilly music is heavy on slide and pedal steel guitar, fiddle and viola. Perhaps a disappointment to some, the CD is light on modern recording techniques and post-production work. All the compositions resemble first-takes - warts and all. There are ample doses of tape hiss and distortion (wow and flutter). Happy Woman Blues may not be pristine, but it is sincere - it shows the beginnings of an exceptional talent with a keen ability to approach popular music from a traditional perspective. If I had heard these songs performed live at the corner bar by Lucinda and her band, I would have raved-on for weeks. For those who thought that `Passionate Kisses' was a bit overproduced or too commercial, Happy Woman Blues may be your cup of tea. And if there's an ounce of pretension on this recording, I'll buy you a copy. Promise.

Keeps getting better
A couple of years ago, I reviewed this and gave it three stars. Since then, I've come to realize how good this disc really is; it gets better all the time. This was Lucinda's second release, and it's more country/folk than her later stuff. As raw as this is, the songwriting is superb. She has become known as one of the best artists around, and here you see,(and hear) that she had this gift right from the start. A classic.

First display of her emotionally powerful songwriting skills
Lucinda Williams fans must hear "Happy Woman Blues" to get a full view of her skills. Recorded in 1980 on Folkways, the songs are less precise and controlled than her recent releases. Lucinda's voice is lighter and so is the general mood. As the title alludes, these songs reflect the freewheeling spirit of a then-twentysomething troubador who was enjoying life. The songs are generally simpler, more direct and happier that Lucinda's later work. But present here is her skill at choosing the telling detail that reveals character and communicates emotion. There is melancholy to be sure in these songs, but the voice is unrestrained, working in a higher key than today and generally does not carry the weight of life's bigger disappointments. Listen to "I Lost It" from this album and compare it to the slower, lower, heavier remake Lucinda has included in her newest (commercial breakthrough?) CD, "Car Wheels On Gravel Road." On this nearly two-decade-old recording, which was re-released in the early '90s, Lucinda makes strong use of melody and vocal phrasing to convey her songs' content. Even in this first recording of her own material, however, Lucinda displays the ability to endow her words with much more meaning than is evident from a simple reading of her lyrics. "King Of Hearts" -- a personal favorite -- manages to shade the hopeful longing of a blooming relationship with the pain of past disappointment and, despite that, a backhanded optimism. This album is an absolute gem. It stands up to repeated listenings. It has been moving me for 15 years. Yes, Lucinda has been the real thing for a long time.