Lucinda Williams live

i've seen her live a bunch of times and while i think she's a reluctant performer (too insular, a little stiff, doesn't really engage with the audience), her bands are always great and she always rocks--i especially like that she'll contort and stretch out her tunes, rather than just copy the album versions. her songs may only be a couple of chords, but they're damn good. arguably, she's the greatest female rocker--not just aping her male peers, but doing it her way, with that tough and tender thing going on.

"car wheels" is the one most people cite, and i agree it's a great record, but it's also probably her most conventional singer-songwriter fare. i prefer "essence" and "world without tears", where she more or less invents her own style--minimalist, raw and hyper-emotional. not many artists choose to be less polished and ambitious with succeeding releases, and i give her credit.
i'll also second notecs nod to kathleen edwards, who does slightly prettified version of lucinda very well--her records are excellent.