Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams

by

Various Artists

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Williams' songs are idiosyncratic, to say the least, which means that some of the artists here fail to connect with the material. Check out Lou Reed and Giant Sand's ponderous selections for the ugly details. However, there are some fine things, too, not the least of which is Maria McKee's barn-burning title track, the only cover to actually improve upon the original. Elsewhere, Lucinda Williams brings the right amount of laconic yearning to "Main Road," Pearl jam does a bang-up job of "Crazy Mary" and Michelle Shocked proves herself a top-flight gospel singer on "Holy Spirit." Those who find Willaims' material loopy, self-conscious and/or rambling will find nothing here to change their minds, but its all for a good cause, and there's plenty to enjoy.

Summer of Drugs/Soul Asylum

Probably the darkest song Victoria has ever recorded. Soul Asylum does a good job. Almost as good as the original.

Main Road/Lucinda Williams

Victoria's version is kind of hard to crack, somewhat overproduced. Lucinda does a great job finding the "song" and bringing it into sharp relief. One of the CDs highlights.

Crazy Mary/Pearl Jam

Not a Pearl Jam fan, but this is the definitive version of Crazy Mary. I sure don't miss the Van Dyke Parks string arrangement that bothers me on the original. Eddie Vedder sounds awesome.

Merry Go Round/Buffalo Tom

A delightful, punky version of the original.

Weeds/Michael Penn

Penn does an admirable job. Instrumentation/arrangement is tops, but this is one of those songs that only Victoria can really bring to life.

Animal Wild/Shudder to Think

Indie guitar rock version of one of Vic's lesser-songs sounds like it was written just for them.

Tarbelly and Featherfoot/Lou Reed

I know Lou Reed is a big Victoria fan, but this sounds like a reject from Songs for Drella. Doesn't come close to capturing the wonder of this classic Victoria song.

Opelousas/Maria McKee

McKee sure has a big voice and this is a big production. An interpretation that doesn't stray to far from the original

This Moment/Matthew Sweet

Too bad this has yet to appear on a Victoria studio album. Very nice.

Frying Pan/Evan Dando

Another Victoria classic. I had the fortune of hearing Vic's version first. Some songs just shouldn't be slowed down.

Lights/Jayhawks

Another Victoria song that is kind of hard to grasp. But the Jayhawks turn it into a memorable, twangy treat. Another highlight. The best cut on the CD.

Why Look At The Moon/Waterboys

Fluffy, jaunty, entertaining version, played like an Irish jig or something by the Waterboys.

Big Fish/Giant Sand

Unrecognizable in the hands of Howe and friends. Not very listenable either. For much better Giant Sand/Victoria collaborations, check out Ramp, by Giant Sand.

Holy Spirit/Michelle Shocked

Shocked's dramatic bellowing doesn't really do this song justice. She tries hard. It's okay, I guess.