Williams made his nickname of "Mr. Rhythm" by talking his way through a series of fun, creepy, sleazy-sounding R&B records back in the '50s. The 1998 Silky is a lot more, uh, explicit (there's a big difference between ... more »"Bacon Fat" and "Let Me Put It In"), and Williams sometimes sounds unconvinced by the words he's drawling, though his torn-up purr slyly makes the point of "Only Black Man In South Dakota." The band behind him--a group of garage rock all-stars including members of the Gories and Demolition Doll-Rods--is terrific, backing him up with an echoey multi-guitar roar that's nothing like what he used in his R&B days, but suits his rasp nicely. --Douglas Wolk« less
Williams made his nickname of "Mr. Rhythm" by talking his way through a series of fun, creepy, sleazy-sounding R&B records back in the '50s. The 1998 Silky is a lot more, uh, explicit (there's a big difference between "Bacon Fat" and "Let Me Put It In"), and Williams sometimes sounds unconvinced by the words he's drawling, though his torn-up purr slyly makes the point of "Only Black Man In South Dakota." The band behind him--a group of garage rock all-stars including members of the Gories and Demolition Doll-Rods--is terrific, backing him up with an echoey multi-guitar roar that's nothing like what he used in his R&B days, but suits his rasp nicely. --Douglas Wolk
happydogpotatohead | New Orleans, LA USA | 01/02/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Andre Williams has survived more than most of us ever will. In the 50s and 60s he worked on the fringes of the rock/R&B field, issuing sleazy records like "Bacon Fat" and "Greasy Chicken," and working as a producer. A stint in Ike Turner's post-Tina band helped him acquire a severe drinking and crack habit that landed him on the street. He struggled back from addiction and began making records again in the 90s. Far from being 50s R&B records, Williams' current CD's are skull-cracking exercises in the kind of depravity that the late Screamin' Jay Hawkins used to indulge in. "Silky" is a triumphant, raging comeback of filthy-minded (and filthy-mouthed) garage rock that sounds like the musical equivalent of the wildest night you ever had, multiplied by 10. He drawls and growls his way through songs like "P*ssy Stank," "Bring Me Back My Car Unstripped," and the frankly frightening "Agile, Mobile and Hostile," with impressive panache, especially considering he's 65 years old. This is music to get drunk and pick up strippers and steal a firetruck and rob a bank to. Back in the day, there used to be preachers who would refer to rock and roll as the Devil's music. Andre Williams' "Silky" is exactly what they had in mind. Listen now, repent later."
Raw, raunchy and excellent
happydogpotatohead | 07/14/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is one of the greatest garage rock n' roll albums EVER! For fans of Andre's early work as well as fans of the Cramps, Blues Explosion, Gories, ect. Mr. Rhythm is king!"
"This fine little record will both impress fans of Mr Rhythm and win new converts with a primitive and raw blast of R+B, SOUL and ROCK'N'ROLL! Mr Williams teams up with Mick Collins and Dan( both former members of garage/R+B group The Gories) to rock the dull world into a horny frenzy! This record will have you do'in the bacon fat and shakin' a tail feather all night long!"
Good Lord, what he gets away with
Paul Pearson | 05/03/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
""Silky" is actually a garage-rock effort, pretty far removed from Andre's R&B roots. But it's also the greatest garage-rock album of the '90s, and would have fit right alongside the Gories on the Crypt Records roster of the decade. For a 60+-year-old man, Andre's mind is strictly in the juvenile gutter, but at least he's a talented exhibitionist. References to sex (all types) abound, albeit with comparitively little obscenity. Two cuts especially, the obvious "Let Me Put It In" and the jealously apocalyptic "Everybody Knew," make him sound like he's in physical pain. He growls, huffs, and doesn't give a damn what you think. What more could you ask?"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1
