Lucinda Williams Brings Song and Storytelling to Montreal

Inspired by captains of industry and poets of counterculture, Lucinda Williams cleverly follows the footsteps of her inspirations Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, while carving out a path for herself as a generational singer and storyteller.

Lucinda Williams has been classed among Rolling Stone’s “Greatest Songwriters of All Time” and among The New York Times’ “30 Greatest Living American Songwriters.” Her breakthrough album, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road was released in 1998, but despite her comparison to folk and country legends as well as the critical praise she’s received over the decades, Lucinda Williams has gained modest public and radio attention. Today, the American alt-country singer from humble Louisianan roots is marked by the unifying energy she brings to the stage and the deep loyalty of her fans. Even at 73 years old and after surviving a stroke, Lucinda Williams brought her compelling voice and storytelling to Montreal.

In January this year, Williams released her 16th studio album, World’s Gone Wrong. A lament about anger and disconnection, Williams poetically mourns the loss of a world we all thought we would have had. But the album isn’t intended to depress listeners — quite the opposite. By recognizing pain and injustice, Williams hopes to bring people together again.

Gripping the mic stand, she kicked off the show with a tune from her breakthrough album. In “2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten,” she sings about blues legend Robert Johnson, whose guitar prowess made him famous. “Mr. Johnson sings over in a corner by the bar / Sold his soul to the devil so he can play guitar.” She kept the upbeat rhythms going with “Crescent City” from her self-titled album, accompanied by the glowing background vocals from her guitarists Doug Pettibone, Dave Sutton and Marc Ford.

Reminiscing on her childhood in the south and recalling the “the things kids remember,” she gave the people what they were waiting for: “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.” My main note? It’s the type of music that sticks people together. Singing about coffee in the kitchen and dogs barking in the backyard; it was picturesque that Williams was singing under the painted blue skies on the ceiling of Theatre Beanfield.

Before diving into the title track of her new album, Williams reminded the crowd of her intentions with the album. She doesn’t want to be dull, and she doesn’t want to cry about the state of the world. She instead wants to be topical, aware, and stick together to somehow get through these troubling times. Though she admitted it might be idealistic, she confessed, "What the hell, it’s better than being pessimistic.” The crowd erupted with cheers, and the slower pace and meaningful words in her next act were more than welcomed.

Dripping with imagery, the dreamy lyrics from “Low Life,” immerse you in a New Orleans cocktail bar. Recalling a time where she felt lower than the floor, she sings about gripping a cold Hurricane while watching the walls come alive. Stories and charming bits of her life were peppered between sets, and only served to further strengthen her connection to her loyal, loving audience. She even shared about a time she was asked to curate a jukebox at a NYC country bar called “Lucinda’s”.

Though the show took a political turn, it did not divide the audience. Williams launched into a series of unique covers, starting off strong with “So Much Trouble in the World” by Bob Marley. Stating, “I think we really need him right now,” Williams’ band plucked their guitar strings while the crowd reflected on a time when Marley’s warm words brought people together during hard times.

“Man Without a Soul” from her new album was the first anti-Trump track of the night. Without naming names, she said with a laugh, “I’ll let you figure out who that might be.” She immediately followed with the track, “You Can’t Rule Me” from her 2020 album, Good Souls Better Angels, which cranked up the energy and served as a proud resistance song. “You can’t rule me / You can’t rule me / You can't take my soul and try to rule me too.” “He’s a sad, sad man,” she concluded later in the evening.

It’s no surprise that Williams is the daughter of a poet and has been writing since she was six years old. You can feel the dust on the road and smell the wheat in the fields across the street in her songs. Her brave words and sentiments resemble those of other old school country singers with intelligent, progressive spines running up their backs, such as Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. Last year, she even joined Nelson’s 2025 Outlaw tour, where she got to finally meet her long-time idol, Bob Dylan.

Williams ended the night with two iconic covers. Inspired by protest songs, she performed, “Hard Times Killin’ Floor Blues” by Skip James, gracing the audience with a display of her impressive vocal range through low hums and passionate melodies, accompanied by soulful bluesy instrumentals. Her cover of the Neil Young classic, “Rocking In The Free World,” closed the show with a bang, leaving everybody happy, tired and grateful to have seen the country veteran.

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