Behind the Lens

LIVE MUSIC
©Photo by Jay Blakesberg
On the cathartic “Unsuffer Me,” she reeled
off a litany of torment and utilized buzzing
feedback, muscular textures, and growling
guitars to turn negative sensations into positives.
Williams wouldn’t be denied.
Neither would her band, which came to
rock. Locking onto a Staple Singers rhythm,
Williams and company rounded out the
upbeat “Protection” with serpentine curves
and heavier cymbal clatter than that on the
studio version. Even more charged, the
metaphor-rich rave-up “Honey Bee” galloped
as it celebrated satisfactions associated
with fresh love and sexual pleasure.
A tribute to Paul Westerberg, “Real Live
Bleeding Fingers and Broken Guitar Strings”
stabbed and staggered, Williams’ amplified
six-string answering her mates’ metallic
rattle at every turn. However unrushed, the
funky “Joy” subscribed to a related energy
as its swampy arrangement visited humid
bayous while inviting everyone to dance.
Throughout, Williams’ phrasing and timing
excelled, her variations sharpening narrative
meaning and providing insightful contrast,
shading, and dynamics. They simultaneously
complemented and elevated the
country-and-western contours of the tragic
“Pineola”—wonderfully accented by guitarist
Stuart Mathis’ streamlined solos and drummer
Butch Norton’s mallet percussion—and
lent a warm, homegrown soulfulness to a
beautiful rendition of “Lake Charles.” On a
slow-burning cover of the Allman Brothers
Band’s “Ain’t My Cross to Bear” that ended
in a double-time clip, the frontwoman testified
via gospel tones.
Williams’ distinctive vocal touches also
turned the brand-new and still-unreleased
“The Ghosts of Highway 20” into a standout.
Bluesy, restless, and filled with a mix of
repentance and saving graces, the title track
to her forthcoming album intimated Williams
still has demons to conquer—but now does
so on her very own terms. —Bob Gendron
16 TONE AUDIO NO.75
November 2015 17