Ramblin’ is the less satisfying of Williams' first two albums. The exception is “Great Speckled Bird,” the strange quasi-hymn indelibly linked with Roy Acuff. Here, the song sounds vital and mesmerizing as her crystalline voice evokes the unsettling mystery of larger forces shaping our... 

 Williams' first two albums offer hints of her greatness–but only hints. On her second release, Happy Woman Blues, Williams comes back with a collection of original songs more representative of her own life and better suited to her style. 

 Lucinda Williams is such a startling advance over her first two releases that it seems to have been done by a different artist. The writing is sharp and tough, with plenty of tender moments rendered in a heartfelt manner. 

 Sweet Old World showed Williams was a damned determined artist: She'd already overcome enough record company bureaucracy to destroy two ordinary careers. It's essentially an album about characters shadowed by death. 

 Recorded over six years and with three producers, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road is a sharply-rendered, intentionally messy set about growing up and getting older in the Louisiana and Texas. The material here is so enduring and deep that they make her olds songs seems like sketches. 

 Williams' songwriting slips a bit over her next two albums, yet each set contains some killer tracks. Essence is her smoothest album: The lyrics aren't as concrete as on her other albums, but fancy touches such as harmony choruses sound great. 

 Williams' sole live release is a two-disc set that unfortunately focuses too heavily on Essence. Yet it does pack a couple of powerful punches: Guitarist Doug Pettibone anchors most of the cuts with intense, fuzzed-out solos. 

 If anyone feared that one of Williams had lost her mojo, West would put those worries to rest. After suffering the loss of her mother and a breakup with a longtime boyfriend, Williams returned with her saddest collection of songs ever. 

 With the release of Little Honey, Williams finally found happiness with a new boyfriend, her manager Tom Overby. But her songs seem to have suffered as a result.