Robin & Linda Williams Albums (15)
What The Critics Say
A little bit folk, a little bit country, a little bit folk, Robin and Linda Williams are a longtime class act on the American acoustic scene, and this release definitely burnishes the legend. There are nods to Bill Monroe and Maybelle Carter ("Maybelle's Guitar and Monroe's Mandolin") and a simpler age of country, as well as the joys of marriage ("Tied Down, Home Free"), with songs that sound as if they've always existed -- a high compliment; it would be easy to imagine the Everly Brothers singing "That's the Way Love Goes," for instance. It helps that they're assisted by a stellar cast, including Tim O'Brien and Jerry Douglas, but their own writing and harmonies are faultless. They might get a little too sentimental on "Visions of Mother and Dad," but the rest is spot-on, with "Pretty Polly Williams" a song for the ages, a piece that would sound natural next to "Shady Grove." They've carved their niche, and it's a lovely, graceful one. This certainly doesn't disappoint. ~ Chris Nickson, All Music Guide
'Live in Holland'
Release Date 12/21/2007
Tracks 13
Label Strictly Country
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What The Critics Say
Radio Songs collects 19 performances from harmonious husband and wife folk legends Robin & Linda Williams, all of which are culled from the riches of Garrison Keillor's popular NPR radio program A Prairie Home Companion. The duo first appeared on the show in 1975, and while the selections that populate Red House's Radio Songs compilation may only reach as far back as 1993 ("Other Side of Town" with the Hopeful Gospel Quartet), the timelessness of both the music and the show itself keeps everything awash in the same sepia-tone glow. Fans who are already familiar with the duo's impressive repertoire will love having a copy of the live versions of longtime favorites, but many of the tunes on Radio Songs were performed only once, making this essential listening for devotees of both APHC and Robin & Linda Williams. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
'The First Christmas Gift'
Release Date 9/6/2005
Tracks 12
Label Red House
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What The Critics Say
Country folk veterans Robin & Linda Williams have been making beautiful (quality) music together since the early '70s, so it comes as no surprise that their first collection of holiday music shuns the usual standards for an assortment of originals, covers, and traditional pieces that warrant more than a casual listen. Linda provides the sparse "Shotgun Shells on a Christmas Tree," a truly Southern take on the more marketable snow globe traditions of a wealthy suburban Christmas, Robin's earthy title track puts an old timey spin on the three wise men legend, while the two harmonize beautifully on the rousing closer, "Rise Up Shepherds and Follow." Forget Mannheim Steamroller, First Christmas Gift captures the spirit of the season with an earnestness that's as simple as the morning snow. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Over the past 30 years, singers and songwriters Robin and Linda Williams have assembled one of the most daunting, emotionally honest, and brilliantly crafted catalogs in American music. Their now trademark tapestry of bluegrass, traditional mountain folk ballads, Southern gospel, country, and hillbilly blues is singular. With Deeper Waters, the album that marks their debut on the Minnesota-based Red House label, and their 30th anniversary as a recording and touring unit, the Williams have issued what amounts to nothing short of a masterpiece and perhaps their most inspired recorded moment. Once in a while, it is possible to glance at a cover to know that what is contained within its folds is special, something so completely out of the ordinary, it seems to speak before it is placed in the box and played. Deeper Waters is just such an item, from the sleeve with photography by Michael Wilson and a gorgeous design by Carla Leighton to its phenomenal players, who include Mike Auldridge, Jimmy Gaudreau, Mark Schatz, and Rickie Simpkins, to its guest vocalists: Iris DeMent, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Schuyler Fisk, and actress Sissy Spacek. The true wealth of any recording by the Williams is in the songs, of course, and this batch is glorious. The pair wrote or co-wrote all but one track here. The pair co-wrote with Dave Hull, Jerome Clark, Tim O'Brien, Jimmy Fortune, and Jim Watson. There's the pastoral melancholy of "October Light," the shimmering dobro and mandolin that entwine with Robin's guitar and vocal of haunted bygone love in "Whippoorwill," and the hunted, devastating dislocation of "Leaving This Land," where the grain of Linda's voice carries within it the weight of every dispossessed, locked-out refugee from across the history of the American landscape. Interestingly enough, it is followed by "Home #235," a banjo-driven song that looks across a life spent traveling and wrapped in the anchor of love for a wandering soul, holding a few possessions as the evidence of personal history. On "Annie," there is more drift and dislocation, where once more, love proves to be the demarcation of home in both the spiritual and physical senses of the word. It is in love that the heart finds its home is what many of these songs seem to say. In the mirage of terrain and landmarks, there is always the presence of the beloved Other to measure the years and distance by. In this manner, Deeper Waters is nearly a timeless collection of Americana; it could have been recorded 100 years ago (as the traditional songs such as "I'll Remember You Love in My Prayers," with its spooky banjo and mandolin lines, slinking through the foreground of the mix suggest), or last week (as evidenced by "I'm Just Glad You're Gone.") The album closes full circle with "Lost Children," a ballad of familial separation, migration, and the kind of truth that can only be borne out in the hope of reunion. Deeper Waters is a testament to the stories that are seldom told yet lived in every community, era, and household. This is the place where love, grief, loss, endings, and beginnings are given utterance: to whisper, weep, laugh, and reflect as they move through lives both ghostly and grand. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Robin and Linda Williams make a chancy move on their latest album by opening with a cornerstone from the Carter Family's canon, "I'll Twine 'Mid the Ringlets" (aka "Wildwood Flower"). Unlike the original, the pace is slackened to give the deep emotion of the song room to breathe. The pace, combined with Linda Williams' sensitive vocal, gives this classic a fresh face. Interestingly, the Williams concentrate on covering other artist's songs this time around. Taking turns on vocals and accompanied by spare, tasteful arrangements, they survey great songwriters like Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, and Bruce Springsteen. As with "I'll Twine 'Mid the Ringlets," Linda's version of "Hungry Eyes" and Robin's "Ramblin' Man" slow the pace, allowing room to concentrate on soulful vocals. Linda trades pure folk for the jazzy flavors of Tin Pan Alley pop on "Wasting My Time, Wasting My Love on You" and the album ends on the solemn notes of "If I Should Fall Behind," a song that takes on a personal note when sung by a married couple. While the selection of material is fine, a certain sameness in style and approach makes one wish that the Williams would let their hair down and kick out the acoustic jams now and again. It's as though their careful craftsmanship removes the spark necessary to bring these tunes to life. Fans of past efforts, however, will appreciate the duo's eclectic choice of covers and their professional approach on Visions of Love. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide
'In the Company of Strangers'
Release Date 1/25/2000
Tracks 12
Label Sugar Hill
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Whenever they perform on A Prairie Home Companion, this husband-and-wife team is always the best element on the program -- with their powerful, sinewy voices (both grew up on gospel music) and instrumental chops (she's a great clawhammer banjo player, he's a very fine guitarist) they take every song they perform firmly by the throat and squeeze every drop of emotion from it, and they always do so in a way that manages to direct your attention to the song itself, rather than to their performance of it. They have a vocal blend as perfect in its way as that of the Stanley Brothers; when Linda's singing lead and Robin's belting out a low harmony it will raise the hairs on the back of your neck. But somehow their albums are often a disappointment. It's tempting to blame it on the studio environment or some other metaphysical factor, but the painful fact may simply be that the songs they write aren't as good as the ones they often sing onstage, which are likely to be old gospel or other traditional material. Lyrically, this stuff is all great; there just aren't many memorable tunes. It's telling that on In the Company of Strangers the only really memorable original song is the title track (which is outstanding) and the best song of the program is a Hank Williams number. Their version of "Cold, Cold Heart" rivals Williams', frankly. If only they could write like he did. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Beautifully crafted work from Robin & Linda Williams, who have a knack for blending American folk music with some very familiar elements from country music -- the end result is equally acceptable to folk or country fans. The strength here is in the songs, which move from storytelling mode to emotional explorations to low-key humor. The Williamses perform mostly in duet mode, though some songs will bring one voice out more than the other; both of them have a pleasantly worn-in sound, if a relatively limited range. Their in-studio musical support is more than adequate, though not spectacular -- which is a plus, as it never threatens to overwhelm the songs. ~ Steven E. McDonald, All Music Guide
