A Thousand Miles from Kansas

West by Lucinda Williams is one of those albums that either grows on you over time or hits you like a brick wall yelling at you “These songs are for you!” The West album hit me like a brick! My first exposure to Lucinda Williams was in 2002. She opened for Neil Young at the Hard Rock Las Vegas. Her voice and angst were very intriguing to me. I began listening to more of her music catalog. In 2007 she released West. In that same year, my mom died unexpectedly. It became suddenly apparent that Lucinda wrote this album just for me. 

The first track on the album is “Are You Alright?” I bought the album solely based on that first track because I could not answer her question. I was not sure I was alright. And for the very simple reason that my answer was no. 

My great discovery was that this body of work, the thirteen songs on West reached down into my depths and made sure I was alright. And when I wasn’t alright, it eased my pain of loss to hear Lucinda scratch out every emotion I needed. So, to further cement the idea that the album was solely for me and my particular well of grief, I kept it to myself and still do even now. Selfish? Maybe. Is it okay sometimes to be selfish? I think so, at least in this case. 

I was sad to read that Lucinda had a stroke in 2020 and no longer plays the guitar, but through intense physical therapy she is able to sing again. She’ll never know what her music from West did for me. Thank you Lucinda. And, are you alright?

© 2025 Gregory Vessar. A Thousand Miles from Kansas. All Rights Reserved.

West Track List

  1. Are You Alright?

  2. Mama You Sweet

  3. Learning How to Live

  4. Fancy Funeral

  5. Unsuffer Me

  6. Everything Has Changed

  7. Come On

  8. Where Is My Love?

  9. Rescue

10. What If

11. Wrap My Head Around That

12. Words

13. West