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Lucinda Williams Is Recovering From a Stroke, Feels "Good And Positive" About Playing Again

"The main thing is I can still sing...can’t keep me down for too long," says the leading Americana vocalist

For the past six months, 68-year-old noted Americana artist Lucinda Williams has been recovering from a stroke she suffered on Nov. 17, 2020. Williams told Rolling Stone that she is expected to make a 100% recovery, as doctors saw no signs of brain damage. The stroke has also impacted her ability to play guitar.

The artist who released Good Souls Better Angels—her 15th studio album—in April 2020, told the outlet about her recovery, "What happens is your brain gets all...the wires get all crossed and you have to retrain your brain basically, to tell your arm to do whatever it is you’re trying to do. So that’s the biggest challenge."

Regarding moving forward, she has dates scheduled with Jason Isbell in July. “I feel good and positive about playing again...and we’re planning on doing those. I don’t know if I’ll stand up and sing or I’ll sit down like an old blues person. But we’ll figure it out.”

Occupying time while healing during the pandemic has seen Williams writing “a bunch of lyrics," which she has yet to write the music because, as she notes, "it’s been hard to sit and play." However, she's recently traveled to her producer Ray Kennedy’s studio in Nashville to officially attempt vocals—for the first time since her stroke—for an upcoming project by her friend, Pretenders vocalist Chrissie Hynde.

"The main thing is I can still sing. I’m singing my ass off, so that hasn’t been affected," Williams says. "Can’t keep me down for too long."

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