Loose is the third studio album by American singer/songwriter Victoria Williams, released in 1994.
Her previous album, 1990âÂÂs Swing the Statue!, won some critical praise but completely failed to attract commercial attention, and the collapse of Rough Trade Records left her without a contract until Mammoth Records bought the rights to that album. Two years afterwards, Williams was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and as a working musician, lacked health insurance or the money to pay her medical fees; however, a large number of musicians who admired the talent she had shown on her Geffen Records albums came in to support her with 1993âÂÂs ' tribute album recording her songs â including two unrecorded by Williams herself.
Loose, in contrast to her first two albums, was recorded with a large crew including some high-profile contributors like R.E.M.âÂÂs Mike Mills, Sly StoneâÂÂs sister and bandmate Rose, husband-to-be Mark Olson and Soul AsylumâÂÂs Dave Pirner.
Containing a full hour of music, Loose saw Victoria Williams use a greater diversity of styles, notably the spiritual-influenced âÂÂYou R Lovedâ and âÂÂGet AwayâÂÂ. Josh Jackson of Paste Magazine wrote: "ThereâÂÂs a tenderness and fragility to these tracks that fits [...] with her idiosyncratic lyrics, filled with an emotional depth, whether sheâÂÂs singing about her dog, her grandfather, her crazy childhood neighbor or her soon-to-be husbandâÂÂor just letting you know You R Loved."
Despite widespread critical praise, Loose could not break her commercially, failing to dent the Billboard Top 200, and Williams moved with new husband Olson to Joshua Tree, California.