| “Diff’rent Gravy” from Jamie Williams & The Roots Collective is out now via 3MS Music. The album, their fifth, is available on CD [Cat Nos 3MS014CD]. This album is all about showcasing some great songs and having fun. As R2 magazine said, “I don’t think the band do this for world domination or money; they do it because they love it, and this shines through the music.” Too true.
“Diff’rent Gravy” boasts eleven brand new tracks that showcase this five-piece’s natural swing and verve, honed over years of performing live. Blues Matters magazine said, “Every song is original and the arrangements are full of surprises”. Musically the album is a melting pot of, of course, Roots, Blues Rock, Americana, Country, you name it – the key word here is ‘Collective,’ these guys are very much more than the sum of their parts. Blues In Britainhit the nail on the head when they said, “They don’t just play roots; they play the whole tree!” Opener ‘Little Black Book’ sets the scene and the tone and pace; there’s a reason that this is a band that whose motto is “Bringing the party to you!” This album is a true unashamed crowd-pleaser: riffs, hooks, singalong choruses are all present and correct.
The line-up for “Diff’rent Gravy” features Jamie Williams himself on vocals and guitar. The band says, “Jamie Williams & the Roots Collective have evolved over the past 8 years to have become one of the tightest and best live fun acts on the circuit today. With Jamie’s immense collection of nearly 2,000 songs for us to choose from, we have put together our best collection of songs yet for this first album for the 3MS label”. Joining Jamie to keep things rocking and indeed rolling are Nick Garner on Harp, Dave Milligan on Guitar, and Dave’s son Jake on Bass, the band work with various drummers.
Jamie Williams is a singer with a powerful, distinctive voice and a songwriter who can turn his hand to creating songs that are at once fresh and original, yet also feel like familiar classics. Factor in the rest of the band and their love of live performance and in Jamie Williams & The Roots Collective you’ve got a winning formula.
By the time the Bluesy shuffle of the album’s closer “Understand” slinks away there’s nothing to be done but put this album on again. Hot, tasty, full of flavour, this album is a “Diff’rent Gravy” indeed; apply liberally! |
