When bad things happen to Lucinda Williams, great music is the result. When Lucinda’s mother died, fans of this founding mother of the Americana movement knew it would mean some of her strongest songs. This is a woman who has no problem reaching down her throat, yanking out her heart and challenging you to witness its pulsating glory. Throw another typical boyfriend break-up in the mix, and West had no chance to be anything but a classic almost on par with her seminal album, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.

Opener “Are You Alright,” with its repetitive refrain that sounds tedious at first, seems like a message for a lost boyfriend, but, upon repeated listens, is clearly a scared child reaching out to her deceased mother. And what was once tedious becomes beautiful.

Williams uses repetition throughout the album. For a writer of her talents, it is safe to say it was not done out of laziness or lack of creativity. It was simply used as a way to express her emotions at their most base level. It strikes a nerve.

As with most Lucinda albums, the recurrent themes are love, loss, and redemption, and she covers them all. But, like most of her CDs, loss takes center stage. Besides songs for her mother (the aching “Mama You Sweet” and the bitter “Fancy Funeral” are the two most obvious ones), there is also the token kiss-off song. Like its predecessors, “Joy,” (from Lucinda Williams) and “Changed the Locks,” (from Sweet Old World), “Come On” is a hard-edged blues number full of raw, angry, sexual energy, plus a hilarious double entendre. “Wrap My Head Around That” covers the same terrain, but in a Louisiana-drawl rap style, full of brilliantly vicious wordplay. The pair of songs should make any guy think twice before breaking up with Lucinda.

But, as tough have things have been for her, Lucinda still possesses hope. She is willing to give love, or at least some good sex, another shot in the bluesy “Unsuffer Me.” And she closes the album with the title track, a rough ballad in which she pleads “Come out west with me/The best that it could be.”

West is classic Lucinda Williams. Upon repeated plays, the listener will continue to find a new phrase or musical interlude that was not noticed before. The proverbial favorite song on the disc will change repeatedly, based on mood and attentiveness. While there are no true standouts, every song on here is solid. Lucinda occasionally reaches for an easy rhyme, but her lyrics also effortlessly alternate between stark frankness and exquisite detail and imagery. “Word” rivals John Lennon’s Beatle masterpiece, “Across the Universe,” lyrically.

But it is the instrumentation that is the most pleasant surprise. Much of the credit should be given to co-producer Hal Willner, who introduced sampling and violins into the songs. Legendary guitarist Bill Frisell also offers up some pretty melodies. And Lucinda, usually known for being a control freak in the studio, should be given credit for trusting Willner’s instincts. Here’s to hoping that her musical relationships continue to be as strong as her romantic relationships are stormy.

Lucinda Williams plays the Tabernacle on Saturday, March 17. 8 pm. $27.50. -
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