Untitled
In a nutshell Andre Williams is a veteran of the Detroit rock scene of the 50s and 60s. He rubbed elbows with everyone from Stevie Wonder to Ike Turner. After those "halcyon days" ended he conquered his mortal addictions and found faith. In the last fifteen years Andre Williams has breathed new life into his music career. Churning out garage rock and country in equal spurts. Luckily on That's All I Need he keeps it basic and firms up Andre Williams "legend".
"Tricks" by far is the best storytelling on the album. Each verse a lesson in Darwin's Survival of the Fittest, but clearly the street version instead of scientific mumbo jumbo. Like most of the other songs on the album the music is minimal, but on this song a lone guitar solo breaks the song in half. Then devolves into a repetitive cycle as the song fades away. "Cigarettes and My Old Lady" relies on a similar technique musically except using a repetitive acoustic riff and tambourine. Williams acknowledges that both cigarettes and his wife take a little bit out of him each day. Similarly "There Ain't No Such Thing as Good Dope" serves as a cautionary tale. Dope ruins the those larger than life and those that barely register on the social radar. "America" musically is the most fleshed out and the most defensive. There are moments when Williams is reminiscent of Tom Petty with a funk back bone. What is great about this album is that the music for once doesn't overwhelm Williams. Instead the music is backing up a great storyteller.