I've been a Zane Williams fan for a couple of years. Talent aside, Zane appears to be an an all around nice guy, and solid family man. His Facebook segment - Music Monday reminds me of a lot of something the legendary Mac Davis did on his television show years ago. Each week, Zane's fans shoot him ten words. They all come from different people and seldom go together - until Zane gets a hold of them. He weaves those mismatched words into clever prose and sets them to music - similar to the way Mac Davis did when audience members would give him words or a theme and he would create a song on the spot. I was excited when Zane agreed to send me a copy to review. I wanted to see how he crafted an entire album.
The album kicks off with FEELIN FREE. The guitar licks
alone in this tune will get you on the dancefloor and feeling like you haven’t
a care in the world. The tempo drops ever so slightly with THROWBACK. This track offers up a groove
with a hint of the bayou that will set you to snappin’ your fingers and noddin’
your head. Zane’s artistic
ability for blending imagery and notes is striking in SUMMER RAIN. I had the feeling of
listening to a title track from a romantic movie. Soft, gentle as the summer
rain. We continue the soft journey in SHE IS – A love song from a man
to his wife, reminding us that when you find ‘the one’, she is everything to
you.
JUST GETTIN’ STARTED kicks
things up a bit, adding in a little rap sass. Although I am not a fan of rap,
Zane adds the short stream like that little something to spice up the pot - just
enough to flavor. In a recent video on his facebook page, Zane talks about the path Country Music has taken in recent years and how we seem to have lost the 'story' that we associate with the genre. He brings his point into focus with JAYLON AND JILL. This song reminds us what
a true country song is all about – a story. Zane accomplished in three and a
half minutes what a fiction writer struggles to do in a full novel – to make
you care about the characters. HERE’S TO YOU pays tribute to
the fans. A raucous, party style salute that involves the crowd he appreciates.
The tempo winds back down in KANSAS CITY SUNRISE – giving us a unique perspective on survival from a break-up. Normally, this comes from the woman’s point
of view. Seldom does a song let us in to the emotional growth a guy
experiences. LOVE IS ON OUR SIDE brings a
more contemporary sound to the cd, proving Zane knows his audience and that he
is here for the long haul.
TEXAS LIKE THAT closes out the
cd with a waltz through the heart of all things Texas. With a final prayer that
everything he loves will always be there.
Overall, I feel Zane accomplished what he wanted to achieve with this album. He wanted to bring the 'country' to the forefront in an effort to keep the classic stuff alive while reaching a new audience.
I give this CD:
TEXAS LIKE THAT is available at:
WEBSITE (where cool promotional packages are available. Check the cool swag!)
You can follow Zane Williams through the following links:
