Live Video: Lucinda Williams

For every country music star who seems to pop out of nowhere with a new mega-hit single, too many other talented artists struggle to reach even half the audiences they deserve. It's a sad fact for musicians of all genres, but the ethics of "hard work for little pay" seem particularly true for country artists, leaving many of the best singers and songwriters toiling for years and sometimes never breaking out of their local scenes. Lucinda Williams became one of the lucky ones, when, nearly 20 years after her debut, she went gold with her Grammy-winning 1998 album, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. Since then, she's turned out one critically acclaimed album after another, most recently her double LP Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone, which finds the Louisiana native more fiercely independent and lyrically confidant than ever. Last week, we were fortunate to feature a rare in-studio performance by Lucinda Williams as part of our Live Streaming Video series. You can watch the entire session now, or whenever or as often as you like, to witness a true talent who's truly paid her dues.