Cris Williamson is and always has been a force to be reckoned with. Long before there were alternatives to the traditional recording company protocol, Cris was busy adding her imprimatur to the face of contemporary music.

As a singer, songwriter, and teacher of the “art of the possible,” Cris Williamson became well known in the 1970s with the release of one of the best selling independent albums of all time, “The Changer and the Changed.” Bonnie Raitt compares Williamson’s voice to the sound of “honey on a cello.” What a luscious description of a voice and add to that some of the most powerful lyrics known to womankind (oh, okay, mankind too!) and you get only a tiny glimpse of what a performance by Cris Williamson is like.

Described by the the Boston Phoenix as “an heroic character whose tireless activism continues” indicates the power that resides within this artist. Cris describes her latest album, “Ashes,” as “conceived in misery and birthed in joy.” This album seems to appeal to anyone who has ever had to unbreak a heart or find redemption within herself. The intimacy of the emotions on the album range from wistful heartache to wry yearning to a down-to-the-bone endurance. Throughout, Cris gives the listener the promise of redemption through strength of character. Williamson, herself, says of writing such difficult songs: “This is what you hone all your skills for — the hard times. It’s easy, when it’s easy. But, boy, when it’s hard, it’s amazing the release that it is just to articulate pain and grief, and to talk about whatever it is that you need to talk about, usually difficult things, still in a poetic way.” That honey-flavored voice is one that laughs, cries, and grits its teeth with the intimacy and immediacy of emotions that are evident with the powerful lyrics that go right to your heart.

This South Dakota native very much considers herself a teacher. “I teach the art of songwriting in a workshop called “Song of the Soul.” It’s a lyrical approach to life.” Williamson’s influence are diverse: the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Joan Baez and Elvis. But, ultimately, Judy Collins was the “book” Cris studied from. She says, “The artists you listen to in your youth are important, like the books you read.”

Williamson was long associated with Tret Fure, another pioneering member of the women’s music community. The break-up of this partnership after 20 years was what brought about “Ashes” and is responsible for bringing Cris back to the stage. She discovered new-found strength and conveyed a pure sense of beauty because she was able to emerge from a ravaged and dark place. Cris describes the support she received from family, friends, and fans alike. She discovered the great loyalty that they all had to her and she believes she simply touched their lives in a meaningful way. “I helped people weep and get born in some way and maybe have given them the confidence to love whomever they want.”

The songs Cris sings cover the entire gamut: pop, folk, country, reggae, and blues. Although the genre of her songs may be eclectic, the message of her songs is not. Her voice soars for the human spirit. Her lyrics reflect her own home-spun homilies that speak of love and compassion for all fellow human beings and for the earth. She learned the power of music and named her own music company after an important influence during her lonely years in the mid-western prairies of South Dakota and Wyoming, the infamous Wolfman Jack. Thus Wolf Moon music came into being. Cris has released several albums on this label. “Ashes” is by far one of the most powerful pieces of music she has ever released. The accolades keep on coming and Cris continues to be hailed as a guiding force not just in women’s music, but in the entire independent recording industry. She has most definitely paved the way for all the young female singer-songwriters on their way up the ladder of success.

 

 

A brilliant composer and lyricist. The Boston Globe