The unsung hero of rhythm and blues, Andre Williams has always been at his best when playing ludicrous rump-shaking grooves about food or foul-mouthed funk. His latest full-length, That’s All I Need, abandons those touchstones for a different kind of musical flashback.
Heading to the motor city and enlisting members of The Dirtbombs and The Electric Six, these slow jams call to mind vintage Motown and electrified ’60s Chicago blues. Williams makes no secret that he’d rather talk his way through a song than sing it, and in that respect, this album does more to showcase the band than anything else. It’s a fuzzy, mid-fi slab of psych-y soul that purrs or growls depending on the track. It’s not just the music that’s toned down, it’s Williams’s delivery, too. Instead of funk-backed monologues with titles like “Bonin’” and “Let Me Put it In,” That’s All I Need is oddly earnest with songs about patriotism, abstinence and clean living. It’s not his best work, but given that the Black Godfather is 55 years into his music career, the record is actually far better than it has a right to be.
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