VICTORIA WILLIAMS - MUSINGS OF A CREEK DIPPER

There used to be a Tower Records on Maryland Parkway right off of Flamingo in Las Vegas. That's where I paid full price for this CD. I picked it up because Wendy & Lisa worked on it and I had no idea what I was in for. At the time, I was buying anything they worked on. If their name was attached at some point I was gonna buy it. And this disc was no exception.

I put the disc in and started listening and thought there must be some mistake. To that point, I'd heard some interesting work they'd done with other artists like Joni Mitchell and Michael Penn, but I was convinced their strengths lie in working with pop artists like Seal or Prince. 'Periwinkle Sky' began and I thought, "WTF?" Williams has a broken small voice that she half sings/half speaks her vocals. Normally, I'm drawn to interesting and unique sounds but in the case of Williams, I find the combination of her strange child-like songs and bizarre voice an unappealing marriage. It's like watching an adult paint like a child. There's that car crash curiosity that keeps you looking, but inside you're somewhat appalled.

Wendy & Lisa appear on two tracks on this odd record. 'Train Song (Demise Of The Caboose)' and 'Let It Be So'. The two songs are easily the highlights of the record. 'Train Song (Demise Of The Caboose)' is actually pretty amazing. The music is wonderful and huffs puffs along like an actual steam engine train. The Wurlitzer gives it the chugging quality and the stuttering, skip of the drum track is singularly beautiful. You can't help but enjoy the number. Even through Victoria's strange lyrics. At one point, she stops and says,
"I'd like to take this time to complain about the train".
My mind boggles at this. I find it ridiculous. Still, I have to say, once again, Wendy & Lisa take an artist and bring out their best qualities. As annoying as I find Williams, I do appreciate her performance on these two tracks. Musically, 'Let It Be So' doesn't have the cool physical motion of 'Train Song'. Probably because Lisa & Wendy didn't work on the music. They contribute Backing vocals only. Still, their very presence give strength to Victoria's sound. It's like taking a banner heading and making it bold. Thankfully, the music on this song is fairly well done.

There are a couple other tracks that always stand out on this disc. But that's mostly because they're so weird. 'Kashmir's Corn' is a completely bizarre fairy tale Williams tells of waking up one night and adventuring out of her room. 'Grandpa In The Cornpatch' is another number I find oddly disproportionate. It's like milk when it starts to go bad. There's just something off. But that's not always a bad thing.

Ultimately, the fact is without the Wendy & Lisa input, I'd never have bought this record. Victoria Williams isn't an artist I find compelling or interesting. Her fans are drawn to the poetry of her lyrics and the honesty of her voice. I'm not. I find her lyrics rambling and unappealing. Musically, I'd put her somewhere between traditional folk and plucking banjos on some backwoods porch. My final words: HUGE PASS.

VICTORIA WILLIAMS - MUSINGS OF A CREEK DIPPER
01. Periwinkle Sky
02. Rainmaker
03. Kashmir's Corn
04. Train Song (Demise Of The Caboose)
05. Last Word
06. Nature Boy
07. Tree Song (Eucalyptus Lullabye)
08. Let It Be So
09. Allergic Boy
10. Humming Bird
11. Grandpa In The Cornpatch
12. Blackbirds Rise