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"It's
not anything like the last record, but every record is different,
y'know?," says Victoria Williams of her new Atlantic release,
"MUSINGS OF A CREEKDIPPER." "This record has some
very beautiful parts to it, I think. And it deals with a lot of
issues: Death. Life. And everything in-between."
The
long-awaited followup to 1994's acclaimed "LOOSE,"
"MUSINGS OF A CREEKDIPPER" is a remarkable collection of
this singer/songwriter's unique musical storytelling. From the
dulcet strains of the opening "Perriwinkle Sky," to the
eclectic "Grandpa In A Corn Patch," Williams concocts
her own blend of detailed characterizations and lyricism,
accompanied by a patchwork quilt of American songwriting styles.
Country, blues, jazz, folk, gospel, avant-garde, and Tin Pan Alley
pop all come into play, all marked by the Louisiana-born Williams'
inventive vocal stylings.
"It's a big sound,"
she agrees. "But it's real natural, though. Whatever music
comes to me, I'll just do it. At the time, when we're recording,
if I think of this song or that song, I just kinda trust that it's
the right thing. It's very free."
Williams began recording "MUSINGS
OF A CREEK DIPPER" in June of '97 at the Rancho de la Luna
studio in California's Joshua Tree National Park with co-producer
Trina Shoemaker (best known as Daniel Lanois' longtime engineer,
as well as co-producer of Sheryl Crow's latest) . She took a
midsummer break in the proceedings to travel with the Lilith Fair
festival, winding up with recording sessions in August and
September at Daniel Lanois' Teatro Studio in Oxnard.
"MUSINGS..." (Victoria's
fourth studio album, following 1987's "HAPPY COME HOME,"
1990's "SWING THE STATUE," 1994's Mammoth/Atlantic debut,
"LOOSE," and 1995's live recording, "THIS MOMENT IN
TORONTO WITH THE LOOSE BAND") features a diverse lineup of
musicians that includes Wendy and Lisa, Minneapolis-based
instrumentalist Mike 'Razz' Russell, the Williams Brothers' Andrew
Williams, esteemed jazz drummer Brian Blade, pedal-steel guitarist
Greg Leisz, and the multi-talented Joey Burns and John Convertino
from Giant Sand and Calexico.
With a singular sound brewed
from arrangements that combine traditional guitar, bass, and drums
with instruments such as occarina, calimba, and Chamberlin strings,
horns, and flutes not to mention various violas and cellos
Williams tackles the most universal of topics. Knowing how to
relax and enjoy the minutiae of life is the central theme of
"MUSINGS..." Her belief that people should stop and
smell the roses is made most pointed and poignant on "Train
Song (Demise Of The Caboose)."
"That's about more of a
social death," Williams says, explaining her chronicling of
the last days of the old-fashioned locomotive. "It's a
statement about our times. Everybody's in such a hurry. Like the
introduction of the really fast solar trains. The caboose
completed the train. Now there"s no ending. It just keeps
going, going, going."
Williams first recorded "Train
Song" during the Joshua Tree sessions, but didn't care for
the result. Upon returning from Lilith Fair, Victoria went to
Teatro Studios where she united with Wendy and Lisa to produce the
song's anomalous sonics and percolating steam-engine rhythms.
"I wasn't really happy with
it," she says of the process involved in creating the track's
novel sound, "so I threw out everything we'd done in Joshua
Tree, and said, "Just take everything off but Brian Blade's
drum loop, and I'm gonna cut a new track with just piano and
vocals. Then I invited those gals up. I said, "Listen, I hear
you're great with loops." They did tracks with synthesizers
and Wurlitzers and percussion, and we did some harmonies together.
They had a blast with it."
Williams too, is having a blast,
with a perpetual life of touring and recording. As if all that
weren't enough, she and her hubby, Mark Olson, (late of the
Jayhawks, who co-wrote the new album"s "Hummingbird,"
and contributes many of the backing vocals) have recently
purchased a couple of acres in the California desert.
"We bought this shack out
there in Joshua Tree and we're fixing it up," Victoria says
of their little ranch. "I've never owned a house before. It's
a whole other experience."
Victoria, Olson, and their pal
Mike 'Razz' Russell have also just recorded an album together
under the moniker of The Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers. A
truly independent recording, the sale of the trio"s debut
which features an alternate version of "Hummingbird" is
being handled by Olson through their new web site.
"That record's a family
thing," Williams says, explaining the synergy of the two
projects. "Mine's like a lone creek dipper. Just one person.
The musings of a creek dipper..."
The joyful fascination with the
little pleasures that runs through "MUSINGS OF A CREEK DIPPER"
comes from Victoria's knowledge that life is to be savored, every
minute of every day. Perhaps something as simple as creek-dipping
is the key to Williams' unwavering good spirits in the face of
heartache and crisis.
"I'll dip in any creek,"
Victoria Williams smiles. "All over America, like when we're
on tour, in local, small countrysides, we just look at the map and
find a creek and go and dip in a creek. It makes you feel good."
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