Rating 4.0
raving mad and depraved brillianceAndre Williams has survived more than most of us ever will. In the 50s and 60s he worked on the fringes of the rock/R&B field, issuing sleazy records like "Bacon Fat" and "Greasy Chicken," and working as a producer. A stint in Ike Turner's post-Tina band helped him acquire a severe drinking and crack habit that landed him on the street. He struggled back from addiction and began making records again in the 90s. Far from being 50s R&B records, Williams' current CD's are skull-cracking exercises in the kind of depravity that the late Screamin' Jay Hawkins used to indulge in. "Silky" is a triumphant, raging comeback of filthy-minded (and filthy-mouthed) garage rock that sounds like the musical equivalent of the wildest night you ever had, multiplied by 10. He drawls and growls his way through songs like "P*ssy Stank," "Bring Me Back My Car Unstripped," and the frankly frightening "Agile, Mobile and Hostile," with impressive panache, especially considering he's 65 years old. This is music to get drunk and pick up strippers and steal a firetruck and rob a bank to. Back in the day, there used to be preachers who would refer to rock and roll as the Devil's music. Andre Williams' "Silky" is exactly what they had in mind. Listen now, repent later. Silky Rocks OutThis album is hilarious. It is worth buying just for the humor and the stories. It is not recommended if you find references to drug use, dirty sex, and the objectification of women in bad taste. But if you're not a [wuss], you can really enjoy this album. Andre rocks out. Instrumentally, the album is also very innovative, which I would not necessarily expect for a guy well over 65.Another badly produced album spoils a great artistLike Williams' other recent CD, RED DIRT, this is so badly produced, you have a hard time hearing some of the lyrics--which are the whole point of the exercise. Massively loud, bad guitar work hammers the rest of the mix. (Surprise: The guitarist did dual duty as the "producer" of this mess.) Andre Williams needs to dump these clowns and get the kind of professional production he enjoyed in the 1950s. |
