Lucinda Williams – “You Can’t Rule Me”

Danny Clinch,

Lucinda Williams – “You Can’t Rule Me”

Danny Clinch,

It’s now been 42 years since the long-beloved, tough-as-hell country-rock singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams released her debut album. Her masterpiece Car Wheels On A Gravel Road came out in the waning days of the Clinton administration, when Williams was already a hardened veteran. Lucinda Williams is now 67 years old, and her voice still carries dangerous amounts of disdain and authority.

This spring, Williams is coming back with a new album called Good Souls Better Angels. This is a good thing. We already posted lead single “Man Without A Soul.” Today, she follows it up with a straight-up rocker called “You Can’t Rule Me.”

Williams recorded all of Good Souls Better Angels with her longtime backing band, and you can really tell. “You Can’t Rule Me” is a bluesy ramble full of nasty guitar stabs and sneer-drawled vocals. It sounds like the work of musicians who have known each other forever and who feel most comfortable when they’re playing music in a room together. Williams’ lyrics are all about refusing to be dominated; they’re as political as they are personal. Check it out below.

Good Souls Better Angels is out 4/24 on Highway 20/Thirty Tigers.

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