Dream
SCI Fidelity
Sleight-of-hand singer/songwriter Keller Williams not only performs tricks with his guitar, but with his musical personality. On this shape-shifting release—Williams’ ninth studio recording— the Virginia native assembled his “dream” team, which includes Bob Weir, Michael Franti, Béla Fleck, John Scofield, Charlie Hunter, Steve Kimock, Martin Sexton and String Cheese Incident. Whether he had the rare pleasure of recording in Weir’s home studio or sent an audio file to various musicians in order to complete a
track—in the case of Fleck, Victor Wooten and Jeff Sipe’s collaboration on “People Watchin’”—Williams managed to get it done. The results are significant, but they do place Williams all over the map. Williams is generally a one-man show, looping bass and drum parts that he can play along to. Here, he starts with the punky/new-wave charge of “Play This,” channeling late-’70s Joe Jackson, which comes as a bit of a jolt
contrasted with the reggae-lite “Ninja of Love” (Franti adds harmonies and a few raps), the raga style of “Lil’ Sexy Blues” and the extended instrumental, “Twinkle,” featuring Kimock and drummer John Molo. His duet with Weir on “Cadillac” is nice, but Williams really shines on the jazzier tunes, where comparisons to Ben Sidran, Mose Allison and even Michael Franks are warranted. Both tunes with Hunter—“Kiwi and the Apriciot” and “Slo Mo Balloon”—standout, as does “Rainy Day,” with Sexton adding a voiced muted trumpet. While Williams’ whispery vocals caress the ears, his lyrics tap the funny bone. On “Sing for My Dinner,” featuring the album’s one epic jam courtesy of SCI’s Michael Kang and Kyle Hollingsworth,Williams muses, “I’ll play until my fingers turn blue/I’ll sing for the sinners/ Try to noodle for the spinners/ And freekiness will hopefully ensue.” And on the stutter-stepping “Life” Williams sums ups his somewhat eccentric style: “It’s just acoustalunatickleananrchy.” Keller Williams dared to dream that so many stellar musicians would join him on this fantastic voyage. For the most part, it’s pretty smooth sailing.
Steve Bloom
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