Will Thomas: Press
"Great Southern rock and roll in its traditional form," says former Domino Bobby Whitlock, and anyone in search of downhome whiteboy Muscle Shoals rock'n'soul in a Donnie Fritts/Travis Wammack bag need look no further. Produced by former Eddie Hinton mentor Johnny Wyker and aided'n'abetted by local legends like Spooner Oldham and Wayne Perkins, Thomas here tears down the roadhouse on a storming southern rocker that 30 years ago woulda given the Allmans a run for their money.
Barney Hoskyns - Rock's Back Pages/England
"In the music world there are so many cliches it's downright obnoxious if you're one of us non-mainstreamers who knows better. When it comes to Southern Rock I think it's time we gave the old school a break, with continued respects, but allow some new blood to continue the tradition and add their names to the history book.
Listening now to " Will Thomas - Live In Copenhagen " for the umpteenth time, I sure know where my vote goes. This epitome of Southern Rock moves me like nothing I've heard in ages. Searing guitars, horns, piano, and a geyser hot rhythm section compliment Will's emotion grit vocals thru this showcase of his fine original music, and one cover.
This is a damn near Jazz Fusion Live Party no Southern Rock lover should be without. Behind the beat you'll find Sequoia Tree deep global roots. From a Swedish fan, to Mexican food in Denmark. From a group of the finest musicians in Scandinavia, to the King of Roots Music, DJ Ray Pieters of Belgium. From Italy, Alabama, to The Lone Star State Of Texas. Invoking the title " Global Southern Rock " to Will Thomas is my conclusion."
Eddie Russell - Country Eastern / Outlaw For Peace / Rainbow Smoke Network (Feb 1, 2003)
Needed desperately by writer: musical inspiration from new source to help hot-wire summertime blues and depressed feelings. Remedy: boss sends copy of Mr. Will Thomas's 1997 release, I Will Not Look Like Them. Crank the windows and throw back the curtains, folks, because I'm a new man again!
When a CD can be opened to any cut on the disc and each song sounds fresh and lively, then there's certainly a reason to look hard and listen clearly. This set is a winner: from the lyrics to the engineering, the package is granite-solid, and there's hooks a-plenty for all. Will's ability to adapt to a variety of vocal styles also pays dividends - he ranges wide and far with a gruff-and-grit rasp that pays respects to blues like Gregg Allman and Eric Clapton's new sound, he rocks like Ronnie Van Zant with a twist of Jeff Healey's wail, then smoothes feelings ala James Taylor, with a bit of melancholy-like Michael Stipe. That's not all: Alabama Will and friends pack up and make a happy dash to Nashville on a few songs - and he sounds like he's been happily digging into his Marshall Tucker Band collection. His backing lineup demands notice and grabs your attention with direct boldness: Wayne Perkins snarls and bites down with siren-like alarms and protests on bottleneck and lead like a tailor-made mix of Jack Pearson and Warren Haynes, setting up fellow guitarist Ed "Ruffy" Canada with the chances to pump serious iron with his frets; "Jurrasic" Joe Walk strolls on piano when the sun shines, Owen Brown does it with gusto on bass, and David Allen raises everyone's pulse on drums and percussion. I personally give the nod to Wayne for pulling every magician's trick out of his slide bag of tricks - but the rest of the gang is just as crafty.
From the opening bell, "I Will Not Look Like Them" carries a heavy blues burden, like a man plowing a field - without the help of a mule. Wayne, David, and Joe make the beads of sweat fall, and it's understood through Will's voice that this is a harness that one sorrowful man wishes to be cut and dropped. Wayne flies above with crow-like squawks as Will and friends defiantly illustrate that "Wait-Again" hits every pothole in the road to make the shocks need repair, and with an opening blast from the guitars and David's snare, "Tomorrow Will Be Like Yesterday" dares anyone with a chip on their shoulder to put up or shut up. Hot and sticky with a relentless, finger-wagging-in-your-face slide guitar, "Trouble in Mind" grinds like a straining engine on a heavy schedule. All that work means a day off that's desperately needed: take the "Sunday Blues" with caution for Will's agony and aching head, because Saturday night must have been a hell-raiser. Wayne steps in and saws away, and Joe makes the minute hand move more slowly on the clock. There's no relief in sight, because Ed has to get in his viewpoint, and Wayne comes back to rub salt in the wounds.
So what do these fellows do next, but go and have a good time - while they can - so they head for Nashville and parts yonder. Lyle Lovett and his Big Band would be proud if "Girl I Know" could be offered to them. It's got jump, shake and roll, and you can watch the skirts twirl on a dance floor. es! We're in for fun again, and Joe Walk's piano follows Will's call to "set 'em up" as "Just Stay Pretty" gets your toes tapping and boots a-kickin'. The dobro-guitar exchange (that's Ed on the resonator) makes this as purty a picture as any you would wish for a date with your steady gal. However, those mood swings are still to be reckoned with - Will's got a case of JT-like "Insomnia," and this sounds eerily like something that would be covered by REM. Aw, shucks, you can't keep a good man down, and since love conquers all, snap those suspenders, get back on the dance floor, and remember that "I Ain't About to Fight" (for you, baby) means there's still some excitement to squeeze before the night is through. However, all road trips always lead home, and with a third verse by Will, Eddie Hinton's "Everybody Needs Love" peers into the sunset from high up on a lookout peak as everyone reflects on the lessons learned on the Highway of Life. If you wait a minute, there's a little reprise tucked away, as "Tomorrow Will Be Like Yesterday" comes back to challenge any last thoughts of doubt or misunderstanding.
Get this big fella and his pals to show you around town - and be sure you have plenty of stamina, 'cause they're going to leave no stone unturned until you've had your musical needs fulfilled. I gave this the ultimate test: the car stereo, where I can get up close and tight to the sounds - and it got the job done, mister: here's the bill for services rendered. Lemme promise ya, Mr. Thomas and friends have earned every cent. Where there's Will, there's the way!
Mitch Lopate - Gritz Magazine/USA - I Will Not Look Like Them Review
Will Thomas, Alabama Day
(Will Thomas, postorder)
Sydstatskille som sjunger country och rocknroll som om tiden st? still i trettio ? Alabama Day ?sympatiskt som ett av de d?albumen man k? och ?kade bara f?tt de var inspelade med de r?a m?iskorna i Muscle Shoals-studion. Plattan ?producerad av Johnny Wyker, som en g? tog hand om Eddie Hinton, musiker som Wayne Perkins och Spooner Oldham medverkar och "Sleep Doctor"?en av de goaste, ja, goaste, rockl?r jag h?p??e. Och versionen av "Let Love Come Between Us", som Wyker en g? skrev ?James & Bobby Purify, ?inte heller s?okig. Best? albumet p?ww.willthomas.com utan att tveka.
Translation........
Will Thomas, Alabama Day
(Will Thomas Mailorder)
Young Southern man who sings country & rock'n'roll just like time had stood still for thirty years. "Alabama Day" is sympathetic, just like one of those albums one bought & loved just because they were recorded by the right people in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The record's produced together with Johnny Wyker, the man who once took care of Eddie Hinton. Among the musicians you'll find Wayne Perkins & Spooner Oldham. "Sleep Doctor" is one of the best rock songs I've heard in a long time & the version of "Let Love Come Between Us", the song Wyker wrote for James & Bobby Purify is also real good.
Order the CD without hesitation.
Lennart Persson - Best Right Now/Sweden
Dit is toch wel een aangename verrassing! Onlangs nog werden de liefhebbers van Southern rock wreed wakker geschud door het geweld van The Bottlerockets (het is trouwens angstig stil rondom deze groep). Nu is een nieuwe held opgestaan en hij heet: WILL THOMAS.
Onder de hoede van veteraan Johnny D. Wyker, die als songwriter, muzikant en producer de hoogtijdagen heeft meegemaakt van de beroemde opnames die in Muscle Shoals zijn gemaakt, dook Thomas de studio in. Wyker zorgde er voor dat een legertje prominente gastmuzikanten aanwezig was, die zich in het verleden al in de studio Muscle Shoals verdienstelijk hebben gemaakt. Vooral het dubbele gitaarwerk van Ed Ruffy Canada en Wayne Perkins (ex-Bob Marley, ex-Rolling Stones en ex-Lynyrd Skynyrd) zorgt voor het betere spuitwerk. Voeg daaraan toe het verdienstelijke honky tonk pianospel van Jurassic Joe Walk, een stompende ritmesectie bestaande uit David Allen (drums) en Gwen Brown (bas) en dat in combinatie met die geweldige strot van Will Thomas en je hebt een superband! Tikkeltje overdreven, maar hetgeen deze band presteert, hoort wel meteen thuis in het rijtje Allman Brothers, Wet Willie en Lynyrd Skynyrd. Maar ook de witte soul van Eddie Hinton en Frankie Miller druipt van deze muziek af.
Will Thomas woont tegenwoordig in New York, maar groeide op in Decatur in de zuidelijke staat Alabama. The southern soul kreeg hij dus met de paplepel gegoten. In 1997 nam Thomas zijn debuut I Will Not Look Like Them in de Birdland Studio in Town Creek, Albama op. Het album opent met drie stevige potjes southern rock, maar daarna wordt het een afwisselend brouwseltje. Het vierde nummer Trouble In Mind begint met een lekker riffje, dat in het midden van het nummer een vreemd aandoende tempoversnelling krijgt en dat vind ik eigenlijk wel jammer, want zij hadden wat mij betreft - ?a The Allman Brothers 20 minuten door mogen gaan met het eerste stompende riffje. De track Girl I Know heeft helemaal dat Allman Bros-gevoel met een hoofdrol voor de pianist Jurassic Joe Walk, die ook in het volgende nummer, een countrysong (Just
Stay Pretty), excelleert, samen met Ed Canada op een dobrogitaar. Bijzonder fraai is voorts het The Free-achtige bluesrockje Sunday Blues. Aan het einde van de cd moet Will Thomas nog een tour de force verrichten, namelijk het coveren van Eddie Hintons Everybody Needs Love. Er is immers maar ? koning van de witte soul, namelijk Hinton himself! Maar onze sympathieke zuiderling slaat zich er goed doorheen al probeert hij met zijn zang wel erg veel op Hinton te willen lijken.
In 2000 neemt Will Thomas zijn tweede album Alabama Day op en wederom onder de hoede van John D Wyker. Deze producer heeft dezelfde musici voor dit project weten te strikken, maar komt ook nog met de legendarische pianist Spooner Oldham, gitarist Kelvin Holly en saxofonist/fluitist Guy Higginbotham op de proppen. De cd steekt qua opbouw ietwat evenwichtiger in elkaar, maar ik heb geen voorkeur voor ? van beide.
Het album opent met het titelnummer, een echt southern rock-klassiekertje-in-spe. Daarna een zomers briesje (Steely Dan komt om de hoek suizen) in het wel erg laid-backerige jazzy nummer Be Thankfull met de blazer Guy Higginbotham in een hoofdrol. Het volgende nummer She Gets Me is interessant, maar klinkt wat geforceerd met al die wendingen. Een prachtig countrybluesje met een geweldige tekst (over het alledaagse leven in een restaurant) is Waffle House (prachtig slide-werk trouwens). Lekker stompend en super zwaar is de bluesrock in Got No
Blues. Een leuke melodieuze song is Come My Way en eens te meer blijkt dat Will Thomas een perfecte rockzanger is. Blues ?a Mister Clapton klinkt in Too Late en in het jazzy Powers Of Deception mag de ingehuurde blazer nog even lekker knorren.
Nu ik alles nog eens overzie gaat er een lichte voorkeur uit naar het debuut. Wat mij betreft mag Will Thomas met zijn muzikale maten
binnenkort de oversteek maken. Een beetje vuurwerk kunnen wij in de lage landen wel gebruiken. (PJ)
Marc Nolis - Roots Town Music Magazine/Belgium
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"Great southern Rock'n' Roll in its traditional form" --- Bobby Whitlock
"Will Thomas is the real deal..." --- Chuck Leavell
My Sincere Thanks to Will Thomas
@@Will Thomas / I Will Not Look Like Them (No Label WT897)
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Shuwamp
Shuwamp - Shuwamp World/Japan
Da una piccola indipendente dellAlabama, presentiamo un giovane cantautore destinato a rinverdire i fasti del grande southern rock. Tracce, e non poche, di Allman Brothers, Eddie Hinton, Skynyrd e Muscle Shoals soul sound per un personaggio esplosivo in questambito. Un segreto da scoprire!!
- Will Thomas - Alabama Day (nuovo album feat Spooner Oldham, Wayne Perkins e i session-men dei Muscle Shoals studio. Imperdibile per i cultori del southern-rock!!!)
- Will Thomas - I Will Not Look Like Them (Primo album del cantautore destinato a rinnovare i fasti del southern-rock dautore. Per chi ama Allman, Skynyrd, Hinton.....!!!! Formazione come sopra!!!)
Franco Ratti - IRD/Italy
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Pooh Yokocho - Slice of Life/Japan
from Germany's www.home-of-rock.de by Fred Schmidtlein
Das Leben als Rock'n'Roll-Fan ist doch wunderbar. Was k?rt es einen schon, da?man tausende von Mark in lauwarme Newcomer oder abgestandene Altrocker investiert. Zwischendurch und ?raschend kommen einem immer wieder echte Perlen unter den Laser.
Der aus Alabama stammende S?er und Songwriter Will Thomas ist so eine positive ?erraschung. Ein junger aber gestandener S?aatler, dessen beide CD's ich (mal wieder) bei CD-Baby entdeckt habe.
Will Thomas erfindet keinen neuen Sound. Aber wer braucht das schon? Dem traditionsbewu?en H? reicht eine vern?ige und, in diesem Fall, gr?nteils hochspannende Neufassung sch? Southern-Musik. Will macht eine niemals l?ende, daf?ehr groovige Mischung aus typischem S?aaten-Rock ala Allman Brothers, gew? mit etwas Country (Rock), ein wenig Jazz, viel Blues und einige Folk-Prisen.
Beide CD's sind von Thomas selbst produziert und bis auf 3 Titel hat er auch alles selbst verfasst.
Will singt ausgesprochen angenehm und variabel und beherrscht s?liche Tonlagen zwischen Gregg Allman, Folkie und Country-Outlaw.
Auf beiden CD's agiert weitgehend die gleiche Backing Band und die macht ihre Sache tadellos. Herausragend sind die Gitarren von Ed Canada und Wayne Perkins (von dem vermutlich die wundervollen Slide-Einlagen stammen). Die Liste von Bands, mit denen Perkins seit Anfang der 70er gearbeitet hat, ist ?gens ?w?igend. Von den Everly Brothers ? Bob Marley, Lynyrd Skynyrd, den Rolling Stones bis Glenn Frey.
Zwischen den einzelnen Songs kann man kaum Qualit?unterschiede feststellen. Das hei?, wenn dem H? die erste Nummer, also der Titelsong I Will Not Look Like Them, gef?t, dann kanner getrost die CD kaufen.
Es ist stimmiger Southern Rock. Vielleicht kann man sagen, die Schnittmenge aus den Allman Brothers, Little Feat, Stevie Ray und all den anderen Helden.
Unn?, einen Song herauszustellen. Es groovt, rockt und bluest. Die Nummern sind bis zu 7 Minuten lang, so da?gen?d Zeit und Platz ist, um den einen oder anderen ausgiebigen Jam-Ausflug zu machen. Und diese Ausfl?sind nicht von der Art, das man sich derweil ein neues Bier holt (oder altes wegbringt), sondern man sitzt gem?ch im Schaukelstuhl und wippt sich ein. Selten wird bei Studioproduktionen der Sound so authentisch und gef?oll transportiert.
?er einem Thema wie dem Sunday Blues kann man schon mal einige Minuten sinieren. Und sich fragen, ob man das nicht erst neulich geh?hat. Antwort: Nat?ch hat man. Aber nicht so angenehm relaxt und packend. "All the sunday demons are rolling...".
Gleich hinterher kommt eine h?he R&B-Nummer, bei der Jurassic Joe sein Boogie-Piano auspackt.
Mit Track 7 kommt der erste Ausritt in Country-Gefilde. Wirklich sch?akustische Gitarren um einen traditionellen (nicht altmodischen) Song. Weitab vom Nashville-Hit-Brei. Und gejodelt wird auch nicht.
Abschlu?von I WILL NOT LOOK LIKE THEM ist die Eddie Hinton-Nummer Everybody Needs Love. Eine sehr sehr sch?Fassung, zu der Thomas eine eigene Strophe hinzugef?hat. Kennt eigentlich noch jemand Eddie Hinton? Der hat ein paar tolle Soul-Nummern geschrieben und ist leider vor ein paar Jahren gestorben Die aktuelle CD ALABAMA DAY ist aus dem gleichen Holz geschnitzt. Und Holz ist w?ich zu nehmen. Wo Will Thomas draufsteht, da wird nicht mit Plastik gearbeitet. Man h?sich mal den
Titeltrack an. Perfekte Southern-Gitarren.
OK. Be Thankful gef?t mir nicht. Klingt mir zu sehr nach Jazzkeller nachts um halb 4. Ansonsten h?ich, nicht nur wegen der Fl? etliche Marshall Tucker Band-Einfl?.
She Gets Me nimmt 3, 4 mal eine ganz ?raschende Wendung. Spannender Song, toller Songwriter.
Waffle House ist eine witzig-melancholische Story ? ein 24-Stunden-Restaurant. Wunderbare Textzeile: "And the man says: well, he doesn't say a thing".
Anschlie?nd wird bei Got No Blues einmal mehr, nicht wirklich neues Bluesmaterial ganz vorz?ch gerockt. Wenn ein Gitarrist (bzw. 2) so rockt, dann kann das gespielte Schema noch so antik sein. Es kommt einfach sensationell r?. Die sch?Hammond und ein versch?tes Sax-Solo gibt es kostenlos dazu.
W?end ich Sleep Dr. zum x-ten Male h? f?t es mir pl?ich ein. Diese traumsch?Leadgitarre erinnert mich an Widespread Panic. Da perlen die Leads ?lich fl?g und rollend. Dazu kommt bei Will die zweite Gitarre und fertig ist ein perfekter Song. Bei WP fehlt mir die zweite Gitarre manchmal...
Will Thomas hat eine Affinit?zu souligen Songs. Auf ALABAMA DAY ?nimmt diese Rolle Let Love Come Between Us. Eine nette kleine Nummer.
Rausschmeisser hier ist Too Late. Ein Blues direkt aus einem Club ins Studio getragen. Was Stimme, Gitarre und Piano ausdr?n, ist Feeling pur.
Insgesamt ist ALABAMA DAY vielleicht etwas ruhiger und nachdenklicher als das Debut. Nichtsdestotrotz sind beide CD's wunderbar stimmungsvolle Werke von einem hochbegabten Songwriter, der sich dazu phantastische Musiker ins Haus geholt hat.
Das w? ich zu gern live h?. Bleibt nur die Frage: Kommst Du freiwillig zu uns, oder m?n wir Dich holen, Will?
Fred Schmidtlein - Home of Rock/Germany
A guy called John D. Wyker looms large down North Alabama way. Since the glory days of the Muscle Shoals sound he has hung in there maintaining his 'Mighty Field of Vision' as the logo goes - keepin' alive the good 'thangs' 'bout this sometimes sleepy part of the world. Look at old (or new) Eddie Hinton/Delbert McClinton albums you'll find his name as spiritual adviser/song writer or producer. Young Will Thomas is his latest project and this is the second result of Will coming down to Bama-land and meeting with Wyker's buddies such as Spooner Oldham, Wayne Perkins and Kelvin Holly (Amazing Rhythm Aces/Little Richard Band). The result is an album at the crossroads of singer/song writer, southern rock and R&B. They don't make 'em like this any more folks. There are lashings of that southern guitar sound, Hammond, sax, back porch lyrics and laid back soulful grooves. Thomas sings in an impassioned gritty fashion and his lyrics show a sensitivity beyond the jingoistic. The title track is an impressionistic ode to the place that gave birth and raised so many musical legends, while the Wyker/Thomas composition Be Thankful is a musical praise for the time and place these guys still have to go about their business - simple and effective.
Waffle House themes a commonplace tale in an everyday place, one of the 24 hour hot griddle kitchens that are found everywhere in the south, and the people who inhabit them. There is a lot more depth to investigate on this honest slab of southern sound, find out more from http://www.willthomas.com/
Keith Glass - Rhythms Magazine/Australia
Prepare yourselves to meet the next Big Man on Campus: Mr. Will Thomas. With two knock-out CDs "I Will Not Look Like Them" and "Alabama Day", The Big Fella has made a stand as a representative for a new generation of Southern-born gentlemen and powerhouse musicians. His songs are versatile enough to grind the gravel under your boots at one moment and then still leave space for a respectful, considerate "Maybe-you're-right-after-all" humbleness. Best of all, Will's songs make things happen: they can push the broom when the cleaning needs to be done and then leave room for the flowers to grow. Steady and sure, this music holds up like cement: you know it's solid, especially when the friends behind him are all-star heroes from down yonder. We're talking five-star material, folks--you're gonna be pleased to meet and hear Good Will Playing.
Two excellent CD's I Will Not Look Like Them & Alabama Day are now under your belt: how does it feel to be heading up the ladder with these releases getting such great attention?
First of all, thanks for saying they're excellent. It's a lot of fun. I get emails every day from all over the world through DJ's who are playing songs from both albums. Sales are going very well with fans writing that they're sending my links to friends and so on...I'm finding the response to the two cds is bigger than the response to one cd X 2, you know what I mean? Folks seem to take notice when they see that there's more depth than maybe just a one-time project.
So, whom can we thank as a teacher/tutor for your presence as a musician--the artists who influenced you? When did you know that this was your calling?
Johnny Wyker www.wyker.com is the man responsible. He's a legendary songwriter/performer-turned producer from my hometown of Decatur, Alabama who was kind enough to listen to a few songs I had written a couple of years ago. He heard some things he liked and some things he knew he could help me with, so we went into a studio outside Decatur called Birdland www.birdlandstudios.com and put some songs down. It grew from there into the first record, I Will Not Look Like Them. He put together a band like you wouldn't believe to back me up. I didn't think we could get a better group until I saw who he had in store for Alabama Day! It's all the same guys from the first album with some additions including Spooner Oldham and Kelvin Holly. The thing is that Wyker knows EVERYBODY in the Southern Soul/Muscle Shoals world, which is almost the whole world of music as far as I'm concerned. And everybody knows and loves Wyker enough to show up when he says he's got something good happening.
Mitch Lopate - Gritz Magazine - Interview