Don Williams Live - Greatest Hits Volume Two
"You have people out there who have preconceived idea of what kind of things are successful. They get themselves into that kind of mentality where they're only looking for what fits that criteria, and they're afraid to even fool with the rest of it."
Don Williams (No Depression, 1999)
In
these days of cookie-cutter country music acts, Don Williams remains a classic
example of a lasting career built on understated individuality and
consistency.
Slipping a Don Williams CD into your changer has the same soothing effect as donning your favorite pair of worn slippers or sipping a mug of rich, hot chocolate on a frosty night. His non-intrusive baritone vocals have an uncanny ability to soothe the soul. With a tenderness and presence that's reliable and unassuming, his music lulls the listener, asking nothing in return.
"I don't think there's anything we have to do daily in our walk that's more important than how we deal with each other." Williams confesses. "To me, it's everything. So when you're looking for songs, if they can express that, then you've found something special." It's this knack, of being able to create and find songs that can express real emotions and moments in people's lives, that have made his music timeless, internationally and here at home.
Don's latest CD,
"Greatest Hits Volume Two - Live" released in April 2001 on RMG
Records, is a collection of his finest. With a comforting familiarity Don sings
some of his most memorable songs, live, with the assistance of his
well-seasoned road band. “Everybody
knows from me on the road that when they're doing their job well, I hear
nothing,” Williams says, explaining the subtle musical web his band spins.
“It's the emotion of what we're doing is all that I hear. Nothing sticks out.
Nothing jars me.”
“That lets me get to the inside of the song. When that is working right,
there's nothing but that (song's) feeling, and I can focus completely on that.
If you can create that, then you've done a good job.”
You'd be hard pressed to find an unfamiliar song in the collection. Highlights include the familiar ease of 'Lay Down Beside Me', the upbeat, honest deliveries of 'True Love' and 'We Should Be Together'.
For those who are familiar with Don Williams, the CD will have you reliving the career highlights of a true American classic. For those who are looking for a change from today's assembly line offerings, this CD would be a great place to start your journey to discovering country music as it should be.
June
2001 - Laurie Joulie - Take
Country Back
Visit Don's official website: www.don-williams.com