A good sermon at Williams' church

By GINA VIVINETTO

© St. Petersburg Times,
published November 1, 2001

Wearing a dark cowboy hat over her shaggy bleached hair, Williams proved she's as bold a preacher playing guitar as she is without her instrument, when she sings and awkwardly sashays side to side.

A Louisiana native, Williams writes songs about damage. She ranks with a handful of brilliant songwriters -- her pals Townes Van Zandt and Merle Haggard come to mind -- in her candid accounts of yearning, wrecked lives and sultry frustration.

Yet Williams' material somehow resonates with a not-so-clear-eyed hope. Her narrators are weary, sure. They're even a bit hung over -- literally and figuratively -- but they forge on. Why? Because these are working class people Williams sings of, people who've never been given a break. They have no choice but to stiffen their upper lips, get out of bed, shower, get things done. Heartache? Sugar, that's what you get when you run around with those boys; Mama told you.

Backed by a stellar band, Williams relied on material from her now legendary Grammy Award-winning 1998 album, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, as well as this year's fine Essence.

Fans devoured the accordion splash of 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten and the churn of Drunken Angel, an ode to a rowdy friend, now deceased. Reason to Cry rang with Doug Pettibone's pedal steel guitar.

The melancholy Blue, a sad celebration of night's insular loneliness, soared through the show's outdoor setting. The heartbreaking I Envy the Wind captured unrequited love, a frequent theme.

"I envy the rain that falls on your face," Williams sang, conveying the tumult of feelings unshared, the infatuated's hunger to make a connection with the object of her desire.

Sure, the Western shirt, crispy bangs and messy mascara make Williams look like the kind of lady you avoid late at night at the Waffle House. But you'd be making a mistake. As her fans can attest, Williams packs the sort of guts, wisdom and humility that warrant adulation.

To contact Gina Vivinetto, e-mail gina@sptimes.com.

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