Lucinda Williams & Elvis Costello - Jailhouse Tears

After listening to Little Honey it is great to see Lucinda Williams happy again. I'm also glad she is still sassy. She has recorded her share of memorable duets over the years, but "Jailhouse Tears" is in my opinion the best duet of her career. Previously my favorite duet of hers was "Down to the Well" with Kevin Gordon from 2000. The duet with Costello ranks with some of the great country duets. Paste Magazine feels the same way. Costello and Williams first hooked up on CMT's Crossroads . They certainly capture the magic again on this call and reply style song, in which a woman telss her man "how it is." The song is traditional in its vocal styling but thoroughly modern in every other way.

Check out this video from the CMT performance to get a taste: