Additional personnel: Taj Mahal (guitar, harmonica); Doug Atwell (fiddle); Juke Logan (harmonica); Chris Gaffney (accordion); Skip Edwards (keyboards); Steve Mugalian (washboard).

Producers: Lucinda Williams, Gurf Morlix, Brian Cullman.

Reissue producer: John C. Porter.

Recorded at Mad Dog Studios, Venice, California in June 1988. Includes liner notes by Miller Williams.

Personnel: Lucinda Williams (vocals, acoustic guitar); Gurf Morlix (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, steel guitar, dobro, mandolin); Doug Atwell (fiddle); Juke Logan (harmonica); Chris Gaffney (accordion); Skip Edwards (keyboards); Donald Lindley (drums); Steve Mugalian (washboard); Pat Quinn, Jim Lauderdale (background vocals).

Liner Note Author: Miller Williams.

Recording information: Mad Dog Studios, Venice, CA.

After releasing two traditional country blues albums in 1978 and 1980, Louisiana-born singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams all but disappeared for the majority of the decade. She reemerged with a self-titled third album in 1989. Williams' country blues roots are very much in evidence all over LUCINDA WILLIAMS, particularly on a scorching cover of Howlin' Wolf's "I Asked for Water (He Gave Me Gasoline)." But there's a newfound experimental urge here as well, not least in the fact that the album was originally released on the legendary British post-punk label Rough Trade. This brought Williams' music out of the archivist corner and into the pop marketplace, a change heralded by the absolutely perfect pop song "Passionate Kisses"-the video for which even made it into heavy rotation on MTV's alternative music shows! This reissue includes four live traditional country blues tracks recorded in 1983 and originally found on the "Passionate Kisses" CD single.

Lucinda Williams took eight years to write and record her second album of original songs. While some producers and record executives have said that she is difficult to work with, one can never argue with the finished product. She crafts each song meticulously and deftly blends country, blues, and folk to create a unique sound that cannot be pigeonholed into any particular format. Her voice contains a heartache comparable to Emmylou Harris, but she has a darker side and a toughness that allows her to live inside the blues or rock with abandon. Re-released with bonus tracks after receiving long overdue commercial acclaim for Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Lucinda Williams is an album that has been long been recognized as a classic. It has been mined for hit songs over the years by such artists as Mary Chapin Carpenter, who turned "Passionate Kisses" into a country hit, and Tom Petty, who included "Changed the Locks" on his soundtrack album She's the One. In addition to writing strong melodies, Williams is an amazing songwriter with a knack for writing a lyric that acknowledges the complicated nature of relationships while cutting right to the heart of the matter. Every song packs an emotional punch line and rewards the listener each time with something new. A must-own for country and blues fans who appreciate great songwriting. [The bonus tracks mostly feature Williams accompanied only by her guitar, and it adds emotional weight to the album's highlight, "Side of the Road," which expresses the delicate balance of giving up oneself in a relationship without losing one's own identity.] ~ Vik Iyengar