Lucinda Williams at Kessler Theater
All you need to know about Lucinda Williams' current state of mind is right there in the title of her latest album: Blessed. The 59-year-old singer-songwriter (above), who married her manager, Tom Overby, in 2009, is easing into the prime of her career, with a string of critically acclaimed records and consistently sold-out shows across the country. She's breezed through North Texas pretty regularly over the last few years, and this performance at Oak Cliff's jewel box of a theater will be her most intimate yet. (Williams plays another sold-out show at the Kessler on Jan. 18.)
8 p.m. Tuesday. Kessler Theater, Dallas. Sold out.
Gretchen Wilson at Billy Bob's Texas
Nearly a decade has passed since singer-songwriter Gretchen Wilson burst onto the scene with the rip-snortin' single Redneck Woman, and while her career has cooled off a bit, she's not slowing down at all. According to a December interview with Billboard, Wilson is working on a pair of EPs for release later this year. One collection is dedicated to originals (lead single One Good Friend, available now on iTunes, indicates a smoky, Southern rock direction) and the other will feature covers of '70s rock classics. "I've decided that moving forward, I'm going to try to give songs to my audience that move me," Wilson told Billboard. "I'm not going to pay as much attention to whether it has a fiddle or a steel guitar in it."
10:30 p.m. Saturday. Billy Bob's Texas, Fort Worth. $15-$28.
