All too often dismissed as an immature work that was quickly eclipsed by her self-titled breakthrough on Rough Trade, Williams’s second and final album for Folkways reveals much about her current lyrical sensibility and vocal approach. Most singer-songwriters, in fact, would give their Martins for songs as good as “Lafayette” and “Maria.” That she reprises “I Lost It” on Car Wheels on a Gravel Road and continues to explore this album’s themes–the value of native ground and the endurance of loss–is enough evidence that, while not as overwhelming as the work to come, Happy Woman Blues should not be overlooked by fans of this vital artist.
