Cal Williams Jr. is one of Australia’s finest exponents of the blues slide guitar, and this; his latest album showcases his talents perfectly. What you get here are ten tracks that are rooted firmly within the folk/blues and country/blues tradition.
Williams’ guitar picking is extremely versatile as befits someone who is a blues guitar teacher and has written books on the subject. His voice is light and melodious, of the higher pitched variety similar to that of Alan ‘Blind Owl’ Wilson from Canned Heat.
The opening track ‘Coal Town’ is a fast acoustic blues number with lyrics that evoke traditional blues imagery:- “Devil came this morning, brought the broken stars and night right to my room/ Devil came this morning, brought the broken stars and night right to my room/ Oh my pretty baby, stole my heart and soul”. This is an effective way to open the album, and sets out the scene for the rest of the CD.
‘New York Central’ is an upbeat slide guitar number which again has lyrics that come from a long tradition of songs from the heart. “Sister she loves me, kisses and hugs me. Come fly to New York Central Line.”
‘Northern Line’, however, is a different kettle of fish, steeped firmly in the folk /blues tradition of Americana; this is the sort of song you’d expect to find on Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’. Violin adds depth to the track and the lyrics are slightly downbeat:- “Breathe the night, come follow there so fine/As I walk the sunlight of the Northern Line/Taste the cold fear, fire and wine/And the darkness closing in your mind.”
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‘The Sea’ is a melancholic folk song with clever but depressing lyrics: “She waits to find the pictures of her life have grown in circles round the grave.” ‘Geshe La’ is one of two instrumentals on the album and the sound is beefed up here with a full band including some nice double bass, but it is Cal’s guitar work that hypnotises the listener.
‘Pallet On The Floor’ is an old Mississippi John Hurt number which requires no introduction, but Cal manages to inject a bit of new life into it. ‘In A Perfect Light’ and ‘Far Side of You’ are two haunting love songs that work well running back to back, and slow things down.
The last two tracks on the album, are two of the best and close the proceedings perfectly, ‘Ghost Of Banjo’ being a sort of instrumental country blues jig, and the traditional song/hymn ‘Lay My Burden Down’ which suits Cal’s voice well here and manages to juxtapose the sorrow of all that life throws at you with the euphoria of being free from all that.
I really liked this album, and whilst this particular genre isn’t to everyone’s taste, this is well worth a listen.
Cal Williams Jr on Myspace
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