On her second consecutive night of shows at Portland’s Aladdin Theater, American rock, folk and blues-singer Lucinda Williams set the house a-fire with a splendid assortment of songs from her illustrious career.

Opening with “Can’t Let Go” at the onset of the show, she got numerous fans to their feet to dance and things didn’t slow down much from there.

Great concerts get momentum started early. Williams wasted no time pulling out fan-favorites like her 1998 “Car Wheels” and “2 Kool 2 be 4-Gotten.” Like many famous musicians, Williams has faced her share of problems in the music business – including financial shenanigans via a formerly trusted aid she wrote about in “Big Mess.” From the new album, she performed the song Monday night.

Other tracks sprinkled throughout the performance included the melancholic “When I Look at the World” – a stellar crowd-favorite – and “Protection,” boasting a simmering, rollicking jam session made exceptionally so by The Wallflower’s guitarist Stuart Mathis. Have a listen:

Protection

About Lucinda Williams…

Williams’ newest “Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone,” a double-album, was released last year. From these dozen well-crafted tracks, don’t miss her simmering, no-nonsense “Everything But The Truth,” “Foolishness,” and her wistfully-wise “When I Look At The World.”

She’s performed boatloads of guest appearances with other artists, including Nanci Griffith, Bruce Cockburn, Willie Nelson, Ray Davies, John Prine and Amos Lee. Over the years, Williams has received 3 Grammy awards from 15 nominations.

“Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone” is highly recommended. https://prp.fm/2014-superb-year-music/ and was released on Williams’ own “Highway 20” Record label.

…and a bit about Aladdin Theater

The Aladdin Theater was originally Geller’s Theatre when it opened in 1928, becoming the Aladdin in 1930. It was purchased and renovated by Paul Shuback of Shuback’s violin shop in the early 1980’s, and in late 1993 began hosting concerts.

The list of artists who have graced the stage at the Aladdin reads like a who’s who from all genres of music; it remains one of Portland’s favorite music venues.

Any minor quibbles? Not really, just one small tidbit of advice: good eateries in the neighborhood are scarce, so if you’re planning to dine at The Alladdin’s The Lamp, arrive plenty early. Also, while “Lake Charles” remains a personal favorite of this reviewer, perhaps we’ll have to wait for the next time this rock music legend rolls through Portland.

You can find the music of Lucinda Williams on amazon, iTunes, and on her website.

Lucinda1

Lucinda Williams and her band rocked the Aladdin Monday night.

Cynthia Orlando
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