Victoria Williams: Water To Drink

When Victoria Williams learned she had multiple sclerosis—and no health care to pay for the treatments—a variety of musician friends banded together to start the Sweet Relief fund and record the first of, so far, two tribute albums. Not only did that disc raise much-needed money, but it also raised Williams' profile. She's since lived a pretty simple lifestyle in the desert with husband Mark Olson (formerly of The Jayhawks), and her subsequent recorded output has reflected that laid-back existence: Compared to 1998's ultra-relaxed Musings Of A Creekdipper, the new Water To Drink sounds like an eager bid for stardom. "Grandma's Hat Pin," for example, is about as accessible and straight-ahead as anything she's written, and that's not necessarily a good thing. But the songs that follow bound from peak to peak with impressive consistency. Williams' distinctive voice is especially bright and full, and her diverse and vibrant songs match that newfound exuberance. "Gladys And Lucy" is horn-chart-heavy country soul, smooth without being slick, while "Young At Heart" and "Until The Right Thing Comes Along"—both featuring arrangements by Van Dyke Parks—do those jazz standards justice. Then there's the Burt Bacharach-inspired "Claude" and the lounge-friendly title track, an Antonio Carlos Jobin cover that finds Williams equally at home with bossa nova. The closing "A Little Bit Of Love" may come closest to the kind of skewed country for which Williams is generally known, but the rest of Water To Drink is a real breakthrough in terms of style and execution. It remains to be seen whether the public will latch onto Williams' peculiar world, but she seems ready for the attention.