On March 16, audience members stood shoulder to shoulder at The Orange Peel. Newcomer Dylan LeBlanc, with a soft, breathy style somewhat reminiscent of Ray LaMontagne, had played a short seven-song set and the crowd was anxious for the night’s main event to begin.

“We see Lucinda Williams every time she comes to Asheville,” said a woman standing near the back. “It wasn’t a sold-out show last time.”

This night, however, was completely sold out. The crowd, representing all ages and walks of life, awaited a performance from a musician whose climb to fame has been slow and steady.

Lucinda Williams has been performing for more than three decades. The Louisiana-born singer/songwriter released her first album in 1978, but it was not until her third album ten years later that she began to garner national attention. The self-titled release included the song “Passionate Kisses.”

Even then, it took four years and the song being performed by someone else—Mary Chapin Carpenter—before its greatness was recognized and Lucinda won her first Grammy as the songwriter for “Passionate Kisses.”

In 1998, Lucinda released the album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road to immense critical acclaim. Music fans were beginning to take note. The album was her first to register on the Billboard charts and won the 1999 Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

Several of the more than 20 songs performed at The Orange Peel came from that classic album, including “Right in Time,” “2 Cool 2 Be 4-Gotten,” “Can’t Let Go,” “I Lost It,” “Metal Firecracker,” and “Something About What Happens When We Talk.”

For most of the night, Lucinda played guitar—alternating between acoustic and electric—occasionally giving up the instrument and allowing her rock-solid band to take over with its fine musicianship. She was backed by Val McCallum on guitar, Butch Norton on drums, and David Sutton on bass.

Lucinda has just released a new album, Blessed, and several songs came from that new CD including the title track, “Buttercup,” “I Don’t Know How You’re Livin’,” “Born to Be Loved,” and “Convince Me.”

A few other songs that Lucinda performed during the night included “Happy Woman Blues,” “People Talkin’,” “I Don’t Know How You’re Livin’,” “Real Live Bleeding Fingers and Broken Guitar Strings,” “Come On,” “Righteously,” and “Change the Locks.”

After a set of about 20 songs, Lucinda cranked up an encore—bringing Dylan LeBlanc back on stage to join her and her band—that included her classic rocking song “Honey Bee,” the aforementioned “Blessed,” “Get Right With God” from her Essence album, and a cover of the Buffalo Springfield song “For What It’s Worth” which many people recognize more from the lyrics: “You better stop, hey, what’s that sound, everybody look what’s going down.”

“Peace, love, and revolution!” she yelled to the crowd at the conclusion of the two-hour performance.