"Mortal City" (01/25/1996) Folk Williams, Dar, Razor & Tie MusicPersonnel: Dar Williams (vocals, guitar); Katryna Nields, Nerissa Nields, Cliff Eberhardt, Lucy Kaplansky, John Prine (vocals); Larry Campbell (guitar, mandolin, dobro, fiddle); Mark Shulman, Jeff Golub (electric guitar); Eileen Ivers (fiddle); Erik Friedlander, Gideon Freudmann (cello); Art Baron (didgeridoo); William Galison (harmonica); Steve Gaboury (piano) Mark Egan, Zev Katz (bass); Billy Ward (drums, snare drum); Roger Squitero (congas); Sammy Merendino. Recorded in Dar Williams' bedroom, Massachusetts and at Sorcerer Sound, New York, New York. Personnel: Dar Williams (vocals, guitar); Cliff Eberhardt, Katryna Nields, Lucy Kaplansky, Nerissa Nields (vocals); Larry Campbell (guitar, dobro, mandolin, drums); Jeff Golub (electric guitar); Erik Friedlander, Gideon Freudmann (cello); William Galison (harmonica); Art Baron (didjeridu); Steve Gaboury (piano); Billy Ward (drums, snare drum); Roger Squitero (congas). Recording information: Dar's Bedroom, MA; Live Wire, New York, NY; Sorcerer Sound, N.Y.C., NY; Spa Studios. Photographer: Barry Tenin. Unknown Contributor Role: Jose Garcia . On the first track of her second album, Dar Williams makes clear her intention to break out of the acoustic singer/songwriter ghetto: "As Cool As I Am" is full-out rock & roll with funky drums and a chorus built on massed choo-choo harmonicas. She doesn't stay in rock mode for long, but the more aggressive approach continues to inform her sound even when she retreats into a more typical acoustic setting. It's interesting to note that as her music gets more consistent, so do her lyrics. Over a spare guitar-and-cello accompaniment, she muses on the various ways that February can symbolize stages in a relationship ("And when we got home, we just started chopping wood/Because you never know how next year will be"). Elsewhere she finds her boyfriend "in the arms of a Student Against the Treacherous Use of Fur" and wishes she hadn't called a certain friend to help her move out. Funny? Oh, yes -- "The Christians and the Pagans" is hysterical, and so is "The Pointless, Yet Poignant, Crisis of a Co-Ed" (believe it or not). And it's the humor gone before that makes a song as naked as "Family" or as conceptually risky as "This Was Pompeii" come across not just well, but with enormous power. The really exciting thing is that her next album is even better. ~ Rick Anderson MORTAL CITY, the follow-up to Dar Williams' successful debut, THE HONESTY ROOM, is rife with whimsy, wit, and the confessional style of songwriting that first drew fans to Williams. Her confessional style remains engaging, charming, and rarely self-indulgent. Williams tackles delicate subjects skillfully. On "As Cool as I Am," for instance, she sings about female jealousy and feelings of inadequacy in male-female relationships. Threatened by a woman who seems to have caught the attention of her lover, Williams wrestles with her own insecurity. Williams emerges victorious, ultimately declaring that she will not be afraid of women and won't allow her herself be intimidated by them. "The Christians and the Pagans" tells of a woman's Christmastime visit to a relative's house-with her female companion. Family members are miffed (the subject and her buddy are said "pagans"), but Williams' subtle humor and keen sense of melody win the day-and propel the song. A strong second set, MORTAL CITY proves that Williams is a formidable talent who won't be disappearing anytime soon.