Victoria Williams, Loose

Ask me who I would compare Victoria Williams to, and you would not find me at my best. I would stumble for words, and you would hear mutterings that sounded like “Sarah Brightman if she grew up on a hillbilly farm in Louisiana and wanted to be like Bjork” or “The Carter Family meets Bob Dylan meets Shari Lewis.” None of this makes sense, and for good reason: there is no one like Victoria Williams.

When I first looked into her music, Loose was recommended as a good first album. (“Well, they’re all good, but this one’s really good.”) By the opening notes of the second track, “You R Loved,” I knew I was hooked. Firm R&B rhythms join with a brass section and Victoria’s unique child-like warble to create a song like no other. And even if the words are somewhat sticky, theologically – “Jesus walked on the water / He turned the water into wine / He went down to the drunkard / To tell him everything was fine” – the track won’t fail to pull you into its excitement.

“Crazy Mary,” two tracks later, is even more amazing. Later covered by Pearl Jam on a Victoria Williams tribute CD, it is a story of a homeless woman and the thoughts of a child who watches her. “Little country store with a sign tacked to the side / Said ‘No L-O-I-T-E-R-I-N-G Allowed’ / Underneath that sign always congregated quite a crowd / Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around.” Victoria’s voice is perfect for the off-beat lyrics and unique view of life and people.

The beauty continues: “Polish Those Shoes” is a collection of childhood memories, silliness punctuated by moments of sadness. “What a Wonderful Life,” the Tin Pan Alley favorite, is beautifully arranged with strings and a jazzy piano. The styles of the songs range from polka to folk to rock to jazz, and her voice pulls all of these styles into a cohesive album.

Some may find her high-octane cheerfulness annoying, but in my mind that’s the best thing about her. She captures childlike wonder – seeing all the tiny details that only a child’s mind can see – and tries to make her listeners remember what that was like. “I cannot decide who should die or live / I do my best to forgive / Falling backwards in the eventide / Listening at the riverside / Lines of poetry revealing mysteries” (“You R Loved”). If only we all had her joy of living!

Related Links:
   Buy Loose at Amazon.com