Gig Review
Brooks Williams
Saturday, 13 January 2007:
On his first ever visit to Bluesnights, this amiable anglophile who hails from Statesboro’, Georgia, USA, presented a wonderful show. There was a range of songs from across the blues and folk spectrum and I calculated that half the numbers he played were his own works – and they are of a very high standard! The first set started with an ode to the South “Blues For Dixie”. A nice up-tempo number “Rich Tonight” was pleasantly syncopated with a slightly jazzy feel to it. One feature of Brooks’ performance was the quality of his picking! Amply demonstrated on “Shady Grove” a number that originated in the Carolina Mountains! A highlight for me in this set was Blind Boy Fuller’s “Weeping Willow Blues”. It was really good with a well-executed slide accompaniment. This set finished with Snooks Eaglin’s “Trouble In Mind”, superb finger picking and smooth effortless chord changes.
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Photo credit: Paul Martin.
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The second set overall was much more energetic than the pleasant laidback first. It started with a fast snappy gospel number by Joseph Spence; a rolling sound to it. This was followed by one of his own, “To A Close Friend”, a good chopping rhythm that eventually led into a roaring outro. That went down very well with the capacity crowd. Doc Watson’s “Beaumont Rag” was a perfect lesson in picking. Infectious! Another peak came with Robert Johnson’s “Love In Vain”. The arrangement on this was excellent with a slide solo that was beautiful. He rounded that off with a poignant homily about the Blues! Brooks Williams continued with a selection of slide, fingerpicking numbers and we called him back for three encores. He got well-earned applause for his night’s work and we will definitely have him back here at Bluesnights again. A superb performance!
Review by: Lewis A Harris.
© Bluesnights. The Dorset Blues Society.
13 January 2007.
