Brooks Williams - My Turn Now (2016) Lossless

Brooks Williams stands on tradition but he doesn't stand still. His influences fly so fast and furious they blur. Like drinking whiskey from a honey jar, you get both the sweet and the bite. And he has just created the best album of his twenty-eight year career. "My Turn Now," recorded in both England and America, features 11 songs (7 original and 4 covers), brought to life by a muscular trio of Williams on resonator guitar and lead vocals, Richard Gates on electric bass, and co-producer Chris Pepper on the drums. Also featured is very special guest Sally Barker on backing vocals. At the centre of "My Turn Now" is Williams' songs. Rocking. Economical. Ironic. The arrangements are tight, and yet the performances are rich in blues pathos. Words like 'timeless,' 'astute,' 'archetypal' just about cover it. At its core, "My Turn Now" is all about contrast. There's "Joker's Wild," with its hard-hitting lyrics and J.J. Cale groove. Or "Rosalyn," with Wilco-esque chords telling the tale of a doomed love affair. There's "My Turn Now," a full-on Johnny Winter-fueled blues about a motorcycle racer who's fed up with losing. There's "Nine Days' Wonder," with jaunty Ry Cooder-esque slide guitar and a cynical lyric about short-lived sensations. And there's "Year Began," one of Williams' most compelling songs to date, about the fateful jump of Evil Knievel over the fountains of Caesar's Palace on New Years' Eve in 1967. And if that weren't enough, who would think Mose Allison's caustic "Your Mind Is On Vacation" could make such a good rocker? It's all there but the howling feedback. "My Turn Now" is a perfect storm. It's a collision of roots and evolution. Brooks Williams, who was born in Statesboro, Georgia (USA), brings it all to the table on "My Turn Now." Williams is, as "fRoots" says, "Americana at its finest!"