Manny King John
As a jack of all trades, David Williams has been no stranger to showcasing his many talents over the years. As a singer, songwriter, Emmy winner, wildlife preservation specialist, and author of many books, Williams is further entrenching his ability with his latest album, ‘Tipping My Hat To Leonard’. A voyage through bassy riffs and impassioned acoustics, the sixteen-track album embraces the many sounds of Folk, Bluegrass, Alternative Jazz, and Americana music. Possessing the innate affinity for words, Williams’ deft songwriting skills are put to work as he touches basis on love, relationships, lust, pain, and more.
The title ‘Tipping My hat To Leonard’ and the opening track with the same name are an influential ode to Leonard Cohen. Inspiration from other singer-songwriters like Randy Newman, Tom Waits, and John Prine float throughout the project with classic folk flair discharged with trenchant vocals. On the track ‘Who Let That Django Jazz Into The Room’, Williams uses his unique style to give trilling vibrations on the guitar on a spry duet featuring Enion Pelta-Tiller, implementing the sound of Gypsy Jazz. Going more into that style on the track ‘Irritation Polka’ is a breezy love song that irrepressibly introduces a sound of swing-style Jazz. ‘I Ain’t Gonna Love Nobody’, ‘Frozen Ice Age’ and ‘Icon’ both have incredible guitar scales and creative lyrics that furthermore prove Williams’ attention to poetic aptitude.
An authentic Folk essence shines through with the implement of a wide range of acoustic instruments, natural notes, and chord progressions, that can are heard on songs ‘I Aint Gonna love Nobody’ and ‘Snowblind’. With a lot to say about love, Williams takes a more jaundiced look at romance on ‘Aching For Love’ as the internet, online dating, and other aspects of modern romance are entailed. ‘Dead Men Feels’ is a song about the everlasting love of a woman. With a range reaching low depths, Williams’ voice accommodates the lyrics that describe how at your lowest moments the only thing suitable to fix your issue is the love of a woman. ‘Little Tiny Foreign Car,’ is a personal favourite for me as it is a romanticly honeyed track that makes me wish I was taking a gondola ride in the Venetian lagoon. Sparking a dash of flirtation and cheekiness, ‘Baby Lost Her Kitty’ is a fun track with salacious witticism. Tracks ‘Murder of Crows’ and ‘Guernica’ shift the mood a bit by evincing broody, sombre tunes about heartbreak after breaking up and other issues about relationships in the bluesily sly tune ‘Complicated Women’.
‘Tipping My Hat to Leonard’ is a project that combines different sounds to act together as one platoon. The imaginative songwriting and use of lyrics make the album very pleasant and display William’s gifted style.
