Louisiana-born Willie Jones first broke through into the country scene back in 2018 with his hit song ‘Bachelorettes On Broadway’, and has been winning over fans with his mix of country, rock and hip-hop sounds ever since. He’s been a feature of Country Music Week and C2C – most recently performing at this year’s festival – and released his debut album, ‘Right Now’, in 2021. Now he’s back with the follow-up, ‘Something To Dance To’.
The 11-track LP opens with ‘Down By The Riverside’, which Jones previously released as a single in 2021. It starts with a spoken word section where Jones asks ‘man who is this?’ and adds ‘you’re not from round here’, and that cheeky tone carries over into the rest of the track, which is peppered with Southern living references and the funky, hip-hop influenced beat that’s become something of a trademark of his. His drawl really comes out in the vocals too and I liked how the song picks up pace on the bridge as well as the touch of distortion which is another feature of the record.
Jones returns to that playful, slinky feeling throughout the project, particularly on the likes of the bouncy ‘Them Girls Do’, which gives him a chance to show off his vocal runs, lead single ‘No Tellin” with its sparse beats, old-school record scratches and more gravelly vocals, as well as a will-they-won’t-they sense of mystery, and ‘Soul Food’ – which lives up to its title with references to collard greens and peach pie and a smooth vocal delivery. This style has worked well for him in the past and, although there’s definitely a sense of ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’, his approach stays on the right side of playful and he works enough specifics into his lyrics that it doesn’t feel tired or clichéd.
However, there’s also time for some more laid-back moments as well. The title track is a twangy, melodic number with namechecks for Bob Marley and Bruce Springsteen and punchy drums, whilst the flirtatious ‘Lil Vibe’ has a reggae influence and a chilled beachy feel about it. Elsewhere, the mellow, reflective ‘I Can’t Complain’ features a strong banjo riff and a joyful chorus about appreciating the small things in life, and ‘Slow Cookin” samples the Hank Williams classic ‘Hey Good Lookin” alongside some slick drawn-out notes from Jones.
Personally my two standout tracks are among the slower, more romantic numbers. ‘Easy’, which comes midway through the album, starts with an acoustic guitar and is full of warmth and affection as Jones sings about finally finding love, particularly on the soaring chorus, before the bluesy guitar riff kicks in later on. He follows that later on with ‘Let’s Be A Love Song’, which references Patsy Cline’s ‘Crazy’ and has a bright melody that makes a nice change of pace from the rest of the album. It’s cool to see that softer side of him and is something I’d be intrigued to see him explore more in future.
Jones closes the record with ‘Get Low, Get High’, an uplifting number that captures much of the key elements from elsewhere on the project, such as the distorted effects, twangy guitar and deep vocals, along with a big singalong chorus. It’s yet another sign of his ability to know where his strengths lie but also trying to do something a bit different, and is a really positive note to end things on.
Overall Willie Jones has made a solid summer album that definitely lives up to its title. It does have a tendency to run together in places, but on a record like this that’s not necessarily a bad thing – it’s the type of album you can just put on in the background for a chilled-out summer day and vibe with, and in the current UK heatwave that’s very much appreciated! There’s also a good balance with the modern-sounding hip-hop influences and the nods to classic country, and those more chilled moments show him growing as an artist whilst still embracing what he’s good at. I’ll be interested to see where he goes next from here, but for now this feels like another good effort from him and should definitely appeal to fans.
Track listing: 1. Down By The Riverside 2. Something To Dance To 3. I Can’t Complain 4. Lil Vibe 5. Slow Cookin’ 6. Easy 7. Them Girls Do 8. Soul Food 9. No Tellin’ 10. Let’s Be A Love Song 11. Get Low, Get High Record label: Sony Music Entertainment Release date: 16th June 2023
