Released: 2008
Tracks: Typical Hey Day; Somewhere in Between; Senseless; Fade Away; Nothing and Everything
Best track: Senseless or Somewhere in Between
Track to skip: none, everything’s great on here
I first saw Liz Williams in a Dallas club and I was immediately impressed with her voice, guitar playing and her songs. It was just a solo show, but she really knocked me out. Liz has a strong and soulful voice and she has considerable technique on the guitar. I’m not embarrassed to say she mops the floor with me. I was really blown away that night. I picked up a copy of her demo (a kick ass version of the title cut) and I’ve listened to it a lot in the past few years. A well-produced demo and a great song.
Liz finally found time to record an EP and it came out earlier this year. I’m really psyched to get something else from her, even if it is only 5 songs. Jeez, what a taster. I never want this CD to end and I frequently just listen to it on repeat. All 5 of these songs are so well-written and really show off her considerable song writing ability. The music has a base of pop music, but it expands considerably from there. It’s easy for her to reach into the “soul” aspects of her music because her voice is so strong. She’s a powerful singer and she brings out a lot of emotion. I like that Liz doesn’t over-sing, even though I know she could stoop down to that if she wanted to. She reigns in her voice, but also lets it all out just enough to knock you off your feet.
I really love the twists and turns that Liz writes into her songs. She’s certainly not afraid to show off her chops, but it’s never to the detriment of the song. It’s great that she doesn’t just stick to “conventional” guitar chords and she’s not afraid to experiment with her playing. As much as I love Liz’s voice and guitar playing, I always come back to her songs and how great they are. Typical Hey Day is a great opener and it sets the mood perfectly for this EP. It’s a funky song with a great groove and it encapsulates the way Liz approaches music. It’s both funky and relaxed, serious and care-free all the while laying it all out there. I love that walk-down to the chorus. Oh yeah, and it’s got some stellar finger-picked guitar. Somewhere in Between has this absolutely kick ass chordal change in the chorus that makes me just go “hell yeah!”. This might be my favorite song on the album…but then comes Senseless and I’m blown away again. Liz brings out the horn section for this (also featured in Typical Hey Day) and she completely changed this song from the demo version into this supped-up Latin jam fest. Tremendous song and a seriously great jam. I have to say, I really love that “king/upon” line in this one.
These first three songs are so incredible and even though I love both Fade Away and Nothing and Everything, these two can’t match the quality of the first three. Nothing and Everything is a fairly standard ballad and while it’s the “least best” on here, it’s still a great song. Not necessarily a great song to end the album with…it really sounds like something should follow it. The placement could have been better for this one. Fade Away brings out the horns again and features a nice 6/8 groove with a slight bit of heaviness. Great vocals from Liz on this one.
Honestly, my only beef with this is that it’s just too damn short. It’s not even 20 minutes long and I would have no problem loving a 60-minute album from Liz. I hope that she can record a full-length album next time around. I think it easy to find a band or singer that you love and say that they “should be famous”. Maybe I’m delusional, but I really think that most people would love this music as much as I do. With her voice, guitar playing and especially her songs, I honestly think Liz Williams is destined for greatness. Hey, you might as well get in at the beginning so you’ll get to enjoy it for longer.
Rating: 94
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