Robin & Linda Williams – In the Company of Strangers
No strangers to hard traveling, Robin & Linda Williams once again find themselves on treacherous terrain, where familiar faces turn into masks, words confound the listener, and that hooded guy with the scythe lurks in the shadows.
Drifting across the landscape, never quite connecting with each other or even themselves, are broken-down bar musicians, hell-bound gunslingers, the ghosts of Hank and Lefty, and a spectral eighteen-wheeler. But life, of course, is also blessed. Love dissolves the day’s cares in “So Long, See You Tomorrow”, Linda’s sweetly tempered lead rounded out by the warm harmonies of Robin and guest vocalist Mary Chapin Carpenter. Men and women inhabit different planets on the swing-inflected “Allow It” but still find common ground. And Robin, with Tim O’Brien on high-stepping fiddle, indulges in some life-affirming Nashville-bashing on “The Perfect Country Song”.
Bluegrass, country and folk are interwoven throughout, showcasing the close harmonies that seem to be the special preserve of couples and siblings. All the tunes are Williams/Jerome Clark collaborations except “Cold, Cold Heart”, where jagged emotion and measured coolness are framed by slide and acoustic guitar as Linda mingles hurt, resignation and dignity. It’s a riveting, insightful performance on an album packed with them.