Lu's Jukebox Vol. 6: You Are Cordially Invited... A Tribute to the Rolling Stones

The last then, at least for the time being, of Lucinda William's "Lu's Jukebox" cover albums, "You Are Cordially Invited ... A Tribute to the Rolling Stones", landed on my door-mat this morning. I'd like to think that I'm a hard-core Lucinda Williams fan but six new full-price albums in a twelve month period has been a big ask, especially when they're all covers albums [don't get me started], all quickly recorded and produced, and all cheaply packaged.So following the Petty and Dylan albums, both of which I gave four stars, how does William's Rolling Stones set fare?[Before I go any further I should admit I'm also a hard-core Stones fan and so I'm going to be a bit biased.]Well first thoughts are that Williams has drawn, not unsurprisingly exclusively from the Stones purple patch, from '65 to '74 but it's an interesting selection. There are of course the obvious choices: "Satisfaction", "Paint It Black", "Sympathy For The Devil" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" but there are also some rather less obvious numbers like "No Expectations", "Moonlight Mile" and "Time Waits For No One", and there's no room for some of the Stones big hits, "Jumping Jack Flash" for example; so it's an interesting mix. By and large Williams hasn't reinvented or reimagined any of these songs, there are tweaks and some nice additions but pretty much they retain the sound and character of the originals, although there are exceptions and foremost amongst these is "Dead Flowers", always one of my favourites in the Stones catalogue, but Lu's slowed-down take doesn't really work for meOpener "Street Fighting Man" is pretty much true to the Stones template, so much so that when Williams's Louisiana drawl starts I find myself asking what's happened to Jagger's Estuary mangled vowels before I remember this isn't the Stones! The slightly extended "The Last Time" that follows is excellent with some wonderful guitar work from Stuart Mathis and Joshua Grange, as is "Get Off My Cloud", and while "Paint It Black" has lost some of the gothic darkness of the original Lu's treatment works for me, although I would have turned the guitars up to eleven. That's four out of four and no real grounds for complaint so far.The slightly slower than the Stones "Play With Fire" sounds as though it could have been written for Lu and the boys although Lu's pronunciation of some of the name-checked London boroughs is a jolt back to reality, perhaps she should have changed the locations! "No Expectations" one of four songs from "Beggars Banquet" was always a country song but here it's given a stronger blue-grass slant; and I've already noted that I don't like Lu's slower rendition of "Dead Flowers" preferring the Stone's faster tempo, but that said I have to admit that Lu's take does work even if for me at least it doesn't stand comparison with the original.I have always liked "Salt Of The Earth" but that's due to the interplay between Jagger and Richards' voices; with only Lu carrying vocal duties it loses some of its interest, and at six minutes plus it's perhaps just a bit too long. Things bounce back with the sleazy blues of "You Gotta Move", I really think these days Williams is better suited to the blues than country, and with more delightful guitar work from Mathis and Grange this is good. There's more sleaze with Sticky Fingers closer, the ballad "Moonlight Mile", but while Williams largely sticks to the Stones template I think I prefer her fuller more rounded treatment as the guys stretch out across the outro.The swampy arrangement of "Time Waits For No One" is well suited to Williams and could have been written for her, "Sway" though I'm not so sure about as it's another where I would have turned up the guitar sound, as it is it sounds a bit muddy. I'm also not sure about "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" but for all the wrong reasons; this is a great track but Williams's vocals can't convey the very New Yorkness of its themes or blaxploitation sound, her drawl's so out of place it reminds me of McLeod the TV detective from New Mexico riding around Manhattan's 27th Precinct on his horse.Williams's "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is down and dirty with drummer Fred Eltringham driving the beat around which the guitars weave, it's sublime as everyone gets a chance to rip it up. The up tempo bouncy chugging intro to "Sympathy For The Devil" threw me, like "Paint It Black" in Williams's hands "Sympathy For The Devil" is not as dark or sleazy as the original but it surprisingly still works. As does closer "You Can't Always Get What You Want", always a great song and Williams and the guys do it justice as they're let lose to stretch out, as I have said before these guys are good.And that's it. The songs of course are out of the top drawer and much of the hard work has already been done for Williams by Keith, Mick and the guys. But Williams has largely made a good fist of her renditions, a couple could have been better and a couple miss the mark but this is [today at least] easily my favourite of the Lu's Jukebox series and that's why when I compare it with the four stars I gave the Petty and Dylan covers this has to be five stars, but I'm biased.

This should have been a celestial cover album. The band are great, as always, some of the arrangements are both clever and imaginative but somehow, while half the tracks work, there are others which don’t quite make it. Lu’s voice can sound great but there is a vibrato on some tracks that jars. I was really looking forward to this album coming out months before it was released. It doesn’t quite make the grade. Sorry.

Excelent

Lucinda Williams singing the Stones' songs was always going to great, but this was even better than I had expected. If I had chosen the tracks myself, from the hundreds available, they would probably have been almost the same. The vocals were excellent of course, but the band were also spot on. A 5-star album.

I’m somewhat disappointed with this album. I normally love Lucinda’s music but this one doesn’t quite come off for me. It feels a bit rushed in recording and the mixes are drum heavy leaving the guitars well down in the balance.The album is ok, but it could have been much better.

Great twist on the stones music.

All of the six live albums had something good on them - She has had some great albums over the years - here's to the next album - great band for sure!!!

Firstly I adore Lucinda's music and her Jukebox, but this is the best!I'm a long time Stones fan too and these are worthy tributes!You gotta groove ;)

I love Lucinda and I love the Stones...so this CD is one of my favorites.

Excelente álbum! Belo tributo.

gute Ware

Altro capitolo della serie Juke box che la Williams ha inciso con i brani che l'hanno più influenzata. Il risultato è veramente eccellente.

Quel magnifique hommage !!!Voix sublime.