Alison Joy Williams
Throughout her career, explosive vocalist and songwriter Alison Joy Williams has done a bit of everything — from rock and pop to country, Americana and gospel. But the blues remains the genre she most enjoys. While she has appeared in numerous venues and at festivals across the U.S. and around the world, she considers Nashville her second home, even since relocating to the Pacific Northwest. She’ll make her return to Music City on May 7 as the headliner for a big night of blues at 3rd and Lindsley, with one of the highlights being a celebration of her new LP How You Look at Things.
“People had been telling me for years that I needed to put ‘How You Look at Things’ on an album, so I finally did,” Williams says of what would become the title track on the new album, speaking with the Scene by phone. “It was really great to record again in Nashville. It’s a place where I not only feel really comfortable, but one where you have both the best musicians and great places for recording.”
Recorded and mastered with Pat Lassiter at Riverfront Recording in Madison, How You Look at Things in many ways qualifies as the signature work contemporary blues fans savor. All 12 numbers are Williams originals, ranging from the enticing sentiments expressed in “Make Love to Me Now” to the edgy confessional tone of “Leave Me to Cry,” “Weakness” and “I Ain’t Easy to Love.” The instrumental accompaniment is strong, but the LP is first and foremost a showcase for Williams’ deep, rich vocal tone and striking delivery. She easily shifts between moods and themes, but is at her best on such tunes as the climatic “Live With the Storm” that let her really stretch out: It’s the album’s longest piece (at more than seven minutes), and its most vocally expansive.
“The thing I’ve learned over the years, from doing all the other types of music, is what really works best in a blues setting,” says Williams. “For storytelling — that’s really what I love in doing the blues, and getting in that good comfort zone with great musicians.”
Her career journey is a testament to the staying power and persistence independent artists must have, in particular those operating in styles deemed noncommercial by major record labels. As the wife of a now-retired member of the armed forces, Williams has performed in Europe and Africa. She’s had songs that made an impact on German and English radio as well as indie charts, and recorded a series of LPs dating back to the Aughts for a variety of labels. She offers high praise to her backing band Indigo Blue, whom she credits with staying sharp and ready to play even when she’s off the road. Williams is also a strong advocate of the value and power of local blues societies.
“No matter where you go and what city you live in, there’s usually a blues society or group of blues lovers who’ll support you,” she says. “All through my years, whenever we’ve had to move, that’s been my support, along with different promoters and festival audiences. [Blues societies] kept me going and always encouraged me to keep singing.”
Williams isn’t the night’s only attraction. Also performing is Nashville’s Gina Sicilia Syracuse, another evocative, stirring artist who’s shared the stage with such blues and pop stars as Shemekia Copeland, Beth Hart, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Joan Osborne. There’s advance buzz for Syracuse’s upcoming 11th LP Bring It on Home: A Tribute to Sam Cooke, coming later this spring.
Topping things off will be Rodd Bland and the Members Only Band. The son of legendary blues shouter Bobby “Blue” Bland (as well as the godson of B.B. King), Rodd Bland soaked up the blues from childhood, absorbing lessons from a host of greats. But as he evolved and matured, he was careful not to let his own voice be erased by being overly reverential to his idols. If you’ve seen the 2014 documentary Take Me to the River, you’ve seen Bland working with the majestic Hi Rhythm Band, backing more blues and soul royalty like William Bell. Bland and company will be performing some of his father’s classics, including “Members Only,” the 1985 song that remained his signature tune until his death in 2013.
Wednesday’s show typifies the blues at its best: a blend of old and new, with fresh approaches to a sound that never goes out of style.
