Happy Woman Blues

Last updated
Happy Woman Blues
Happy Woman Blues.jpg
Studio album by
Released1980
RecordedApril–June 1980
Studio SugarHill (Houston, Texas)
Genre
Length35:13
Label Smithsonian Folkways
Producer Mickey White, Lucinda Williams
Lucinda Williams chronology
Ramblin' on My Mind
(1979)
Happy Woman Blues
(1980)
Lucinda Williams
(1988)
Alternative cover
Happy Woman Blues CD cover.png
1990 reissue album cover

Happy Woman Blues is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams, released in 1980 by Smithsonian Folkways.

Contents

While her debut album, Ramblin' on My Mind (1979), consisted entirely of cover recordings, all of Happy Woman Blues was written solely by Williams. [1] She also produced the album, alongside Mickey White. [2] Supported by a six-member band, the songs are a mix of traditional and alternative country, folk, and blues that reflect her Louisiana roots. [3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
The Village Voice A− [1]

Happy Woman Blues was met with critical acclaim. Robert Christgau, writing for The Village Voice , gave the album an "A−", and called Williams a "guileless throwback to the days of the acoustic blues mamas" who "means what she says and says what she means". [1] Trouser Press felt the record was more "rock-oriented" than Williams' debut album, writing that she used timeworn ideas such as "smoke-stained bars, open roads and a heart that never learns" but reimagined them "in a way that is both contemporary and uncynical". [5]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Kurt Wolff wrote that "King of Hearts", "Sharp Cutting Wings", and "Lafayette" are well composed, emotionally powerful classics on an album that was bold, refreshing, and "stunning for its mixture of blues, folk, and country traditions with [Williams'] captivating, complex, and visceral approach to writing and singing". [4]

Track listing

All tracks written by Lucinda Williams. [6]

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Lafayette"3:40
2."I Lost It"2:52
3."Maria"3:45
4."Happy Woman Blues"3:08
5."King of Hearts"4:02
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Rolling Along"2:46
2."One Night Stand"2:53
3."Howlin' at Midnight"3:49
4."Hard Road"2:29
5."Louisiana Man"2:23
6."Sharp Cutting Wings (Song to a Poet)"3:26
Total length:35:13

Personnel

Technical

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Christgau, Robert (October 5, 1981). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . New York. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  2. "Happy Woman Blues - Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  3. "Happy Woman Blues". Smithsonian Folkways . Retrieved 2021-10-03.
  4. 1 2 Wolff, Kurt. "Happy Woman Blues". AllMusic . Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  5. "Lucinda Williams". Trouser Press . Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  6. Happy Woman Blues (booklet). Lucinda Williams. Smithsonian Folkways. 1980.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)