How Lucinda Got Her Joy Back

Williams conquered her doubts. "I actually started writing positive love songs," she says, citing Little Honey tracks like "Tears of Joy" and "Plan to Marry" — both inspired by Overby. On "Honey Bee," Williams growls, "I'm so glad you stung me/Now I've got your honey/All over my tummy." On the slow-burning blues number "Tears of Joy," she sings, "You give my life meaning, that's why I wear your ring/And why I'm crying tears of joy." It's a happiness that she's been searching for since her 1998 breakthrough, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, when she famously declared, "You took my joy and I want it back."

"I've finally found the right relationship where I can blossom as a writer and grow with somebody and be happy," she says. "I had to wait until I was in my 50s, but, you know, I'm a late bloomer anyway." Overby, who is 50, is a calming influence on Williams, who no longer drinks hard alcohol. "I still like to go out and drink, but now it's just red wine." And though her life as a drifter has been well documented in her lyrics, her new home — which she calls her first "star house" — is a major step toward stability. Her future husband, who shares Williams' deep knowledge of traditional music, also took the reins of her career, shortly before the 2007 death of Williams' longtime manager, Frank Callari. "He's full of great ideas," says Williams.

Last year, Overby arranged a series of concerts in New York and L.A. in which Williams performed her classic albums — 1988's Lucinda Williams, 1992's Sweet Old World, 1998's Car Wheels, 2001's Essence and 2003's World Without Tears — in their entirety. He also encouraged Williams to record an EP of protest songs, titled Lu in '08 (to be released digitally on October 28th), which includes a topical new song, "Bone of Contention," in addition to live versions of Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" and Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth." "I'm a yellow-dog Democrat," Williams says, "which is a Southern expression that means you always vote Democrat. I love this country, and I'm concerned that people aren't going to be looking at the issues. Like, 'I'm gonna vote for the cute babe who hunts.' "

In late August, Williams flies up to Seattle with her band for the annual Bumbershoot festival. Performing on an outdoor stage in the shadow of the Space Needle, she reminds thousands of fans to "get out there and vote." On a warm late-summer afternoon, Williams hides her eyes under the brim of a black fedora. Despite her crippling fear of crowds, which she's never been able to shed (her nervousness causes her to drop lines, so she performs with lyrics propped on a music stand), she seems confident and happy. Backed by her heavy-hitting band, Buick 6, Williams kicks into "Real Love," Little Honey's opening track. "I found the love I've been looking for/It's a real love, it's a real love," she sings, shooting smiles into the wings, where Overby stands. Eventually, he breaks his managerial pose — arms folded, all business — to crack a smile and expose his gold tooth.

The irony is that Williams didn't even write "Real Love" about Overby — but she sings it to him now. "I got that song out of that fling before I met Tom," she says at her kitchen table. "I mean, a lot of the guys I've been with, if they're rock & roll musicians, there ends up being a little competition — they feel threatened. But rather than feeling threatened by my strength, Tom is inspired by it, because he's a real man. He gives me confidence, and confidence is everything."

[From Issue 1064 — October 30, 2008]