Chloe Wilson11 said:Promoters usually love it when someone else kicks off the thread. 😉
Alright, so... seriously though. Why isn't there a link for this Black Godfather guy on the KSET site yet? Come on, KSET crew, get this posted already.
I can't really get into this one—the link is dead. Looks like that old MySpace page just vanished into the ether. Probably gone for good. Hey, just wanted to drop this here so people can get a little taste of bad Motherfucker.
Here are a few reviews from that sketchy AMG label:
So, I was digging through some old crates recently and stumbled upon "Silky," that 1998 release from in The Red Records. It’s one of those records that just hits different when you find it by accident, I guess. Honestly, listening to it feels like catching a vibe you didn't even know you were missing. It’s got this specific energy—kind of raw, kind of soulful, maybe a little bit gritty around the edges? I don't know, it’s hard to put a finger on it, but it definitely works. Just a solid, unexpected gem sitting there in the archives.
So, after basically disappearing from the music scene through most of the '80s and '90s—mostly because he was living on the streets dealing with a heavy drug habit—Andre Williams finally got clean. By '96, he was back in the studio dusting off those old classics he originally laid down for Fortuna Records back in the '50s and '60s. But honestly? He really threw himself into the modern era with 1998's Silky. He ended up working with Mick Collins and Dan Kroha (you know, formerly of The Gories, and they're doing stuff with The Dirtbombs and the Demolition Doll Rods now), and man, it’s intense. Williams merged his style with Collins and Kroha's noise-spattered, stripped-down, roots-punk assault, and the whole thing is just... flat-out nuts. On tracks like "Agile, Mobile, and Hostile," "I Wanna Be Your Favorite Pair of Pajamas," and "Looking Down at You, Looking Up at Me," Williams sounds like an old man who is just spectacularly dirty, especially with this squad of Detroit alt-rock all-stars creating this massive wall of rockin' din right behind him. Then you get to the last two tracks, "Bring Me Back My Car Unstripped" and "Everybody Knew," which feel like these weird Twilight Zone psychodramas. They're so bizarre, I don't even know how to describe them, really. I mean, if you're one of those vintage soul purists, Silky will probably horrify you. No doubt about it. But if you want to hear the wildest guy in '50s R&B getting even more unhinged forty years later, you should probably give Silky a spin. Maybe at your next bachelor party... or a parole hearing. I guess.
"The Black Godfather" (2000, in The Red Records)
So, after dropping *Silky* in '98—which, let’s face it, was easily one of the sleaziest records to come out in years—what was Andre Williams even supposed to follow that up with? An encore? Honestly, with *The Black Godfather*, Mr. Rhythm basically takes sleaze rock to some pretty extreme levels (though whether you call those "heights" or "depths" is really up to you, I guess). Back when he did *Silky*, his producer and partner-in-crime Mick Collins (you know, from The Gories and The Dirtbombs) pulled together this killer squad of local Detroit grit-rock legends to back him up. But for *The Black Godfather*, Collins and Williams decided to go nationwide. They brought in the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Compulsive Gamblers, Cheater Slicks, and the Countdowns, all just causing absolute mayhem while Williams belts out tracks like "Whip That Booty," "Nasty Women," "I Hate Cha," and "The Dealer, The Peeler, and The Stealer." If *Silky* felt a little more cohesive, *The Black Godfather* definitely hits much harder. The last album had these moments of, well, relatively calm, but this time around? Williams is just firing on all cylinders, sounding as nasty as he damn well pleases. It’s loud, it’s wild, and—man—it’s honestly in pretty poor taste. If that kind of thing rubs you the wrong way, you should probably just skip this one. But, if that actually sounds like a blast to you, then grab a copy and get a party going, because Andre Williams is basically showing you how to sling that thing. Oh, and extra points for the cover art; it’s a hilarious, spot-on parody of those classic No Limit Records packages.
So, I was digging through some old crates recently and stumbled back onto "Bait and Switch," that 2001 release from Norton Records. Man, looking back, it’s such a specific vibe. It feels like one of those records that captures a very particular moment in time—that raw, gritty energy that was bubbling up in the underground scene around the turn of the millennium. It's got that classic Norton grit, too. Not overly polished, just honest, loud, and unapologetic. I guess you could say it’s got that garage-rock soul that makes you want to turn the volume up way higher than the neighbors would probably appreciate. It’s messy in all the right ways, if that makes sense? Just pure, unadulterated attitude. Definitely worth a spin if you're feeling that specific kind of lo-fi, high-octane energy today. Maybe it's just nostalgia talking, but there's something about it that hits different.
Just another rowdy, punk-infused session from the undisputed king of sleaze rock. *Bait and Switch* isn't exactly reinventing the wheel here, which is fine, because if you’re a fan of Andre Williams, you already know exactly what kind of wild, raucous R&B you're getting. He’s backed by a garage outfit led by Matt Verta-Ray’s heavy guitar work and some gritty, growling tenor sax from Lonnie Youngblood. Honestly, Williams belts out those stories about ridiculous double standards with the same manic energy he had on his early singles back in the '50s. If you dig music that plays with those old-school, questionable tropes, you might dig "Sling It, Bang It and Give It Cab Fare Home." But, I guess he balances things out with "Put That Skillet Away"—which is pretty hilarious, considering his partner isn't using the skillet for cooking, but rather for a little domestic combat. He’s like a long-lost sibling to the late Screamin' Jay Hawkins, or maybe just a thug rapper who showed up forty years too early. Either way, Williams is a total gem in the American rock underground.
"Aphrodisiac" (2006, Pravda Records)
Ever since he basically shook the world up again with that raw, filthy blast of 1998's *Silky*, R&B legend and self-proclaimed "Mr. Rhythm" Andre Williams has seemed determined to show everyone just how freaky he can get with every new record. But, looking at 2006's *Aphrodisiac*, it feels like he’s loosened the reins a little. This disc proves he can lean into a smoother groove without killing the vibe. For this one, he's working with the Diplomats of Solid Sound—those organ-heavy groove masters out of Iowa City. As you'd expect, they aren't hitting quite as hard as the loud garage rock bands he’s usually paired with lately. What you get instead is this more laid-back, funky flow that’s soulful but still packs a punch. It’s like a mashup of '70s blaxploitation vibes, some Jimmy Smith-style jazz flourishes, and that classic Booker T.-inspired R&B all rolled into one. Williams holds his own through the whole thing, too. His voice might be sounding a little frayed around the edges—not surprising, really—but his old-school toasting on "Uptown Hustler," the desperate pleas in "I'm Not Worthy" and "I Don't Need May (Juana)," and even that post-Hurricane Katrina track "Three Sisters" all show the fire is definitely still there. I mean, he probably sounds more physically robust than he does on *Aphrodisiac*—he's 70, after all—but he can still catch the groove. If I had to nitpick, the main issue is the length. At only 29 minutes, it doesn't quite keep the party going as long as it probably should, though I guess the quality makes up for the lack of quantity.
