Swing the Statue! - Victoria Williams

On the follow-up to her landmark debut, Happy Come Home (1987), Victoria Williams' skills as a multi-faceted songwriter become increasingly stronger and more distinct. The lack of aural opulence -- such as Van Dyke Parks' string arrangements -- reveal a less-forced approach, resulting in a giant leap forward in terms of the development of Williams' own voice. Likewise, her rich Louisiana bayou roots increasingly influence her music and act as a strong motif throughout not only Swing the Statue, but her future releases as well -- most notably her contributions to the Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers. Perhaps drawing upon her own experiences, Swing the Statue has an air of melancholia wafting throughout much of the album. Both "Boogieman" and "I Can't Cry Hard Enough" -- while divergent in terms of musical style -- speak directly to the feelings of loss and abandonment. These aptly juxtapose against the innocence and youthful awe of "Look at That Moon" and "Wobbling" as well as the spiritual guidance found in "Lift Him Up" and "Weeds." Unlike Happy Come Home, Swing the Statue is exceedingly more reserved and somewhat stark -- with an emphasis on acoustic instrumentation. These aptly inhabit Williams' remarkably jazzy arrangements. While examples are abundant, most specifically are the easy and lethargic "Clothesline," as well as the freewheeling "On Time" or "Vieux Amis" -- the latter of which is also sung in the French-derived Cajun dialect. The wholly diverse collection of sounds and styles explored on the disc would continue to inform Williams' work, although it would be another four years before her international breakthrough album, Loose (1994), would be released. While she would ultimately retain much of the momentum gained on Swing the Statue, the dissolution of her record label, Rough Trade, left Williams very little in the way of national or international publicity or promotion. A much more devastating blow was dealt while on the road supporting this album when Williams was diagnosed with the degenerative neurological disorder multiple sclerosis. Her ultimate triumph/co-existence with the disorder gave birth to much of the celebratory tone on her follow-up, Loose. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide