User Score
Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 10 out of 14
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Mixed: 3 out of 14
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Negative: 1 out of 14
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AlbertoNJan 6, 2008strong and heartreaking: this record literally moved me to tears. Stillo does.
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RussAug 14, 2007
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BrianMMar 2, 2006A gut wrenching torturous record that will make many wonder why music is in their lives at all. For the liife of me, I can't figure out why this music is in anyones life. One thing is clear, this music will encourage individuals to obstain from listening to music for long periods of time. Fundamentally, this is a waste of music from an otherwise gifted singer songwriter.
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BrandonSFeb 3, 2005A rare predominantly slow album that never gets boring. Earthy yet ethereal. Who besides Lucinda, Emmylou, and Patty Griffin can pull this off?
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CherylHApr 5, 2004
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KeithB.Nov 11, 2001It doesn't get any better than this. The most raw, unaffected, sensual and heartbreaking music I've heard in a very long time. It's been haunting me day and night since I first listened to it.
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rkidOct 19, 2001It is easier to like after each additional listening. Not as good as 'Car Wheels' but that's not the point. She is the best of this genre around and anything after 'Car Wheels' is going to be unfairly judged. I love this cd to death anyway. Seein her live soon-can't wait.
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MikeT.Jul 11, 2001This album gets more disappointing every time I play it. I keep waiting for something to happen in these predictable, claustrophobic songs, but nothing ever does. "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" this ain't, believe me.
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Awards & Rankings
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Entertainment WeeklyHer folkiest, gentlest album, Essence is a steamy slow-crawl... [8 June 2001, p.74]
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BlenderSubduing the bright tinge of her country-flavored roots rock, Essence's acoustic musings mix Delta blues with Nick Drake-style nocturnal intimacy, while Williams's voice limits itself to a hushed drawl. [Jun/Jul 2001, p.102]
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By leaving her images blurry and her singing uncomplicated, Williams has found a way to capture the sound she hears in her head and obsesses over the recording process to find.