Lucinda Williams meanders through Blessed one syllable at a time, drawing out vowel sounds as if to commemorate her words while she's still singing them. On the title track she reflects on the past not with nostalgia but with gratitude, thinking of the people who've helped her community survive as piano and distorted guitar build behind her. "Kiss Like Your Kiss" is more wistful—here, the softly played instruments come and go as gently as the wind she describes in the lyrics.