Folk
audiences were overjoyed when Texan singer/songwriter
Lucinda Williams
gained well-deserved national attention with her albums
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
and
Essence
. If there is any justice in the music industry,
Eliza Gilkyson
's 2002
Red House Records
release,
Lost and Found
, will give her the same exposure. Both women have paid their dues not only as performers, but also as daughters, lovers, and human beings, and these elements are reflected in the honesty of their songs.
Gilkyson
's beautifully rough voice seeps emotion on the sensual love song
"Fall into the Night"
and effectively recounts hard livin' on the road song
"Easy Rider."
She is joined on the album by
Patty Griffin
,
Slaid Cleaves
, and her brother
Tony Gilkyson
(formerly of the band
X
), who each add subtle and unobtrusive textures to
's darkly melodic poems. Co-producer
Mark Hallman
performed a great service by keeping the songs stripped down and a little bare, making each note important and every word stand alone. ~ Zac Johnson