Dar Williams to play in Chatham on Dec. 7

A number of years ago, singer-songwriter Dar Williams was listening to a song from 1994 called “I Love, I Love (Traveling II).” “Oh, this song is terrible,” she remembers thinking. “It has too many metaphors. It’s a bad song.”

Since that time, however, Williams has had a change of heart and is willing to give the writer a break. “I’m more forgiving of that song,” she says. “It’s all OK.”

Who wrote “I Love, I Love,” about which Williams has had such varying feelings? Dar Williams herself.

The song was one of the tracks on “The Honesty Room.” The CD, recorded in 1994 and released on the Razor & Tie label in early 1995, marked her first album to receive national distribution.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of “The Honesty Room,” Williams is performing the CD live, track by track, in a series of concerts. Williams’ tour will next stop at the Presbyterian Church in Chatham as part of the Sanctuary Concerts on Sunday.

Revisiting the CD after 20 years has been an intriguing experience, according to Williams. “At first, I cringed,” she says. “This record was made when I was 25 years old. This is a kid.”

However, the more she listened to the songs, the more Williams appreciated what she had been able to accomplish. “A lot of the songs have messages of leaving, of integrity, of doing what you have to do,” she says.

“These are songs of encouragement from one person to another person, and both persons were me,” she says.

The album also indicated Williams’ interest in addressing larger topics. On “When I Was a Boy,” she used her experiences as a tomboy to address the issue of gender roles. “You’re Aging Well” questions assumptions about body images.

Williams emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s just as a huge number of singer-songwriters merged. Williams counted such artists as Greg Brown, John Gorka, Cheryl Wheeler, and Christine Lavin among her friends.

Buoyed by the popular success of Tracy Chapman and the Indigo Girls, these folk-influenced artists found themselves in the center of attention. “That became my social scene,” Williams says. “They made the music of the 1960s cool and modern.”

Williams often found herself sharing the stage with these artists. She also participated in a full-blown “folk supergroup” called Cry Cry Cry, along with Lucy Kaplansky and Richard Shindell. The trio released a CD of covers in 1998.

“That was a good time to discover songs and get out of my own head,” says Williams. “It also helped me improve my pitch, because Richard and Lucy have such wonderful pitch. I consider that a highlight of my life.”

Williams has other projects in the works. She is writing a book about communities in America. “So many towns and cities are doing cool stuff,” she says. “The farmers markets you see are a part of that.”

DAR WILLIAMS: “THE HONESTY ROOM” 20th ANNIVERSARY TOUR

WHAT: Two decades after recording the album that brought her national attention, singer-songwriter Dar Williams recreates “The Honesty Room” in concert, track-by-track. The songs include “When I Was a Boy” and “You’re Aging Well.”

WHEN: 7 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Presbyterian Church, 240 Southern Blvd., Chatham

TICKETS: $30

INFORMATION: 973-376-4946 or www.sanctuaryconcerts.org