Robyn Ludwick,
Too Much Desire

Label: Freedom Records
Released: 2008

Just a few years ago, Robyn Ludwick needed open mic nights to gain confidence in her songwriting and performing. There were no traces of that early tentativeness in her 2005 debut For So Long, and now Too Much Desire confirms any lingering hesitations disappeared long ago.

Ludwick's vocal talents and songwriting prowess shine on Too Much Desire, a 12-song collection of songs about desperate love. The opening "Alright" pretty much sets the tone:

I don't care about wrong
I don't care about right
I just want you to be with me
When I turn out the light
Tonight, oh tonight

If that song is about shunning the past to live in the moment, the saddest of the lot takes the opposite tack. Our narrator in "'72 Texas" dulls the heartbreak of today by remembering the long-gone days when she was "somebody's darlin'."

There's an undeniable sadness to the portraits of women in these and other songs, but that sadness never translates into weakness. Though in varying states of unhappiness, these women are always in control. They are predators, not prey. They know how to harness their sexuality and satisfy their desires.

Ludwick is backed by a tight quartet of husband John Ludwick on bass, Mike Hardwick on guitar, Andrew Nafziger on guitar and lap steel, and Eddie Cantu on drums. She also draws upon the talents of an impressive array of friends and family, including her older brothers Charlie and Bruce Robison, Eliza Gilkyson, Michael Ramos, and Warren Hood. Her young children even make appearances, with son Thomas duetting with violinist Eleanor Whitmore on the instrumental "Lullaby" and infant daughter Julia Odessa inspiring the title character of the mournful closing number.

I knew I liked For So Long from the first listen, but I didn't recognize its greatness until months later when I heard it played over the sound system during an intermission at the Cactus Cafe. Too Much Desire has the same potential. I really like it, and I think there's a good chance that someday soon I may truly love it.

Listen:

"Alright"

"'72 Texas"

"Sweet Marie"

"Julia Odessa"

Buy:

Lone Star Music, Amazon, CD Baby

 
 
May 6, 2008