As a rule, you can divide music into three categories - the kind that aims for the head, the kind that aims for the heart and the kind that aims for the hips. Forging two of those connections at once is pretty impressive, but connecting on all three? That’s a rare accomplishment indeed, one that Lucinda Williams manages on her 11th studio album, Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone. Lucinda has been maneuvering down a path all on her own for more than three decades, emerging from Lake Charles, Louisiana (a town with a rich tradition in all of America’s indigenous music, from country to the blues) having been imbued with a “culturally rich, economically poor” worldview.

This past decade has brought much in the way of musical and personal growth for the acclaimed singer/songwriter, evidenced on standout recent efforts like West (2007) and Blessed (2011). Those albums retained much of Williams’ trademark melancholy and southern Gothic starkness, but also exuded more rays of light and hope - hues that were no doubt imparted by a more soothing personal life, as well as a more settled creative space.

Those vibes come to the fore once again on Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone. While she stays very much rooted in the here and now, Williams also conjures up the spirit of classic ‘70s country soul. The resulting warmth of tone gives the album a late-night front-porch vibe - one that could be accompanied by either a tall glass of lemonade or something a little stronger, all the better to let the sounds envelope the listener like a blanket of dewy air.

For Williams, Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone required working with “a lot of new musicians, not just my regular band.” The list of so-called ‘new’ musicians is peppered with some exceptionally familiar names, including longtime Elvis Costello collaborators Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher, guitarist Bill Frisell, iconic Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan, guitarist Stuart Mathis from the Wallflowers, vocals from Jakob Dylan and the distinctive guitar tones of Tony Joe White.

As ever, Williams uses words to ensnare her audience, sometimes with an arm around the shoulder, sometimes with hands grabbing the lapels, and sonics to hold that crowd’s rapt attention. “There are only so many things you can write about, love, sex, death, redemption, and they’re all here,” says Williams, and over the course of 3LPs, she leaves no emotional crevice left unexplored, drinking deeply from a well of inspiration that culminates with an offering that overflows with delta-infused country soul.