| Michael Williams Band- Fire Red |
| Written by Emma Robertson | |||
| Monday, 05 December 2011 14:32 | |||
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 Michael Williams Band recently released their newest album, FIRE RED – the first in almost 4 years for the Washington based blues rock band. The group’s album is a unique mix of a number of musical genres, making for a pretty interesting listen. There seemed to be a lot of different styles at work here, so the album as a whole took a few listens to really understand. The opening track, Hey Baby, is an extremely fun, upbeat number that sets that gets the album off to a swinging, foot-tapping, leg-slapping start. A great start to the album, this song is playful without lacking a ton of soul and flavour. Lead singer Michael Williams’ voice is effortlessly cool, and lends a really expressive vibe to the song – the vocals are easily this song’s strong point. The catchy chorus and vivacious use of horns don’t hurt either! No More Suffering has the same upbeat vibe, and Williams’ vocals remain strong, but the song takes a much more generic route in its rather lacklustre lyrics and overall tone. Fun and impressive guitar solos throughout keep it interesting, though. The upbeat nature of Hey Baby and No More Suffering doesn’t last throughout the album, though, and while this makes for an interesting tone across the board, FIRE RED seems a bit all over the place. Entre Tus Ojos could be part of a different genre entirely – a Flamenco-rock piece with a layered vocals and fast guitar riffs, I thought the song would feel very out of place, but in fact, it was a nice fit. It has a Carlos Santana attitude that makes it quite cool, albeit slightly repetitive. The album takes a different turn with It’s No Surprise and If You Let Me, both of which have a distinctly deep South sound. Since blues rock finds its roots in the South, these two tracks had a vibe that was actually really interesting. Simple, silly rhyming and a happy, upbeat take on the G-7 shuffle made It’s No Surprise a fun, easy listen, while If You Let Me had an almost country sound! The album itself kept me guessing and there were definitely some pleasant surprises along the way. Bet Yo Mama, for instance, has a deep, resounding beat and a chorus so catchy that I was not only singing along by the end of it, but found myself singing it later that day. The title track was a disappointment, however, and didn’t offer as much interest as the other songs. There was a decent blues-y feel to the vocals, but the instrumental breaks felt really overwhelming, and were really difficult to connect with. The song was one of my least favourites on the album. My favourite, on the other hand, was Lately. A powerful, gritty number that really showcased Williams’ soul capabilities, this was the kind of song I had been waiting for while listening to the album. Slide guitar, drums and slow, sad vocals added depth to this song. It reminded me of a kind of Otis Redding meets James Brown sound, only less cliché. Though it seemed a bit uneventful and even somewhat out of place in terms of the album as a whole, the song was full of soul and passion; and that was enough for me. All in all, this album was a pretty unexpected take on blues rock. Especially for Michael Williams Band, whose first album played it fairly safe, FIRE RED was a blend of a lot of different styles, which kept things interesting throughout my listening experience. Catchy and memorable, but nothing incredibly special, FIRE RED was still quite enjoyable.
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