Essence | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 5, 2001 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 50:58 | |||
Label | Lost Highway | |||
Producer |
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Lucinda Williams chronology | ||||
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Essence is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams, released on June 5, 2001, by Lost Highway Records.[3] The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 28, selling approximately 44,500 copies in its first week.[4] By 2008, it had sold 336,000 copies in the U.S.[5]
A critical and commercial success, the album earned Williams three Grammy Award nominations in 2002: Best Contemporary Folk Album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the title track, and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for the track "Get Right With God", which she won.[6]
Critical reception
[edit]Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 82/100[3] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Blender | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Chicago Sun-Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | A−[9] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[10] |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin | 8/10[14] |
Essence was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 82, based on 11 reviews.[3] Reviewers observed a departure from Williams' similarly acclaimed 1998 album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, with Rolling Stone citing the "willful intimacy" in Essence's music[12] and Spin contrasting the "halting, spare" presentation with its predecessor's "giddy, verbose" one.[14] AllMusic similarly stated "those hoping for another dose of the bluesy roots rock of Car Wheels on a Gravel Road may be disappointed, but if you want to take a deep and compelling look into the heart and soul of a major artist, then you owe it to yourself to hear Essence.[7]
The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau found it "imperfect" but still praised Williams' artistry, saying "[she] is too damn good to deny."[9] Salon regarded the album as "an emotional mess of a masterpiece".[15] Entertainment Weekly wrote "Lucinda Williams doesn’t merely wallow in suffering. She savors it like a glass of your finest Bordeaux", and called it her "folkiest, gentlest album" and "a steamy slow-crawl — southern humidity as music — that plays into her strengths as the Joan of Dark of the alt-country set".[10] Q listed Essence as one of the best 50 albums of 2001.[16]
Awards
[edit]Year | Nominated work | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Essence | Best Contemporary Folk Album | Nominated | [6] |
"Essence" | Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | Nominated | ||
"Get Right With God" | Best Female Rock Vocal Performance | Won |
Track listing
[edit]All tracks written by Lucinda Williams.[17]
- "Lonely Girls" – 4:01
- "Steal Your Love" – 3:14
- "I Envy the Wind" – 3:12
- "Blue" – 3:52
- "Out of Touch" – 5:25
- "Are You Down" – 5:24
- "Essence" – 5:50
- "Reason to Cry" – 3:39
- "Get Right With God" – 4:16
- "Bus to Baton Rouge" – 5:50
- "Broken Butterflies" – 5:41
Personnel
[edit]- Lucinda Williams – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Jim Keltner – drums
- Tony Garnier – bass, acoustic guitar
- Bo Ramsey – electric guitar
- Charlie Sexton – drums, hand drum, rhythm guitar, Hammond B3 organ, piano, background vocals, tremolo slide guitar
- Reese Wynans – Hammond B3 organ
- Jim Lauderdale – harmony vocals
Additional musicians:
- David Mansfield – viola
- Ryan Adams – tremolo guitar ("Essence")
- Gary Louris – background vocals ("Essence")
- Joy Lynn White – background vocals ("Get Right With God", "Bus to Baton Rouge", "Broken Butterflies")
Charts
[edit]Chart (2001) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[18][19] | 59 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[20] | 47 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[21] | 29 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[22] | 47 |
UK Albums (OCC)[23] | 63 |
US Billboard 200[24] | 28 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Nichols, Natalie (June 3, 2001). "Rawer This Time Around". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
- ^ a b Houlihan, Mary (June 10, 2001). "Lucinda Williams, 'Essence' (Lost Highway)". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Reviews for Essence by Lucinda Williams". Metacritic. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ^ Martens, Todd (June 14, 2001). "Staind Fends Off Radiohead, St. Lunatics At No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved 22 February 2007.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (February 8, 2008). "Ask Billboard: Williams' Wild 'West'". billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved 9 February 2008.
- ^ a b "Artist: Lucinda Williams". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ a b Deming, Mark. "Essence – Lucinda Williams". AllMusic. Retrieved August 10, 2005.
- ^ "Lucinda Williams: Essence". Blender (1): 107. June–July 2001.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Lucinda Williams: Essence". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ^ a b Browne, David (June 8, 2001). "Essence". Entertainment Weekly. No. 599. p. 74. Archived from the original on April 16, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ^ "Lucinda Williams: Essence". Q (178): 125. July 2001.
- ^ a b Berger, Arion (May 24, 2001). "All the Small Things". Rolling Stone. No. 869. p. 86. Archived from the original on March 4, 2007. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
- ^ McGee, David; Miles, Milo (2004). "Lucinda Williams". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). London: Fireside Books. pp. 875–876. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ a b Weisbard, Eric (July 2001). "Lucinda Williams: Essence". Spin. 17 (7): 125. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ^ McLeese, Don (May 31, 2001). "Lucinda Williams' psychosexual murk". salon.com. Salon Media Group. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ "The Best 50 Albums of 2001". Q (185): 60–65. December 2001.
- ^ Lucinda Williams (2001). Essence (booklet). Lost Highway Records.
- ^ "Lucinda Williams chart history". Retrieved 2021-10-02 – via imgur.com.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 302.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Lucinda Williams – Essence". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Lucinda Williams – Essence". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ "Swedish Charts > Lucinda Williams". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
- ^ "Official Charts > Lucinda Williams". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
- ^ "Billboard 200 > Lucinda Williams". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
External links
[edit]- Essence at Discogs (list of releases)
- Lucinda Williams Official Website