Andre Williams – Aphrodisiac (2006)

1	Hold Up		              play	        
2	Do You Remember			
3	I'm Not Worthy			
4	Prove It to Me			
5	I Don't Need Mary (Juana)			
6	Three Sisters			
7	Uptown Hustle		      play	
8	Chrysler 300			
9	Thunder Thighs			
10	I Can See

Personnel: 
Andre Williams (vocals)
Doug Roberson (guitar, background vocals); 
Nate "Count" Basinger (harmonica, piano, Wurlitzer organ); 
Eddie McKinley (tenor saxophone); 
David Basinger (baritone saxophone, Wurlitzer organ, background vocals); 
John Svec (bass guitar, background vocals); 
Dustin Conner (bass guitar); 
Jim Viner (drums, cowbells, tambourine); 
Sarah Cram, Andy Caffrey, Kenn Goodman (background vocals).

With a mind-boggling 50-year career in the music business, 70-year old Andre Williams is showing no signs of slowing down. The original rapper and R&B performer returns to his soulful roots on "Aphrodisiac", enlisting the 'Diplomats Of Solid Sound' as his backing band on this diverse and adventurous offering. Hints of blues, rock, r&b, rap and soul fill the grooves of this release that flows seamlessly from start to finish. Andre's voice never sounded better as he tackles topics ranging from alcoholism (I'm Not Worthy), Hurricane Katrina (Three Sisters), rejection (I Can See) and love (Do You Remember). But it's also a fun masterfully produced album that will both transfix past Andre fans and new listeners. Recorded in Iowa City, IA., this is the real Andre...the real deal...from the 'Black Godfather'.

Since reawakening the world to his outsize talents with the raw and raunchy blast of 1998's Silky, R&B legend and self-described "Mr. Rhythm" Andre Williams seems to have gone out of his way to prove just how freaky he can deaky on each subsequent album. But Williams pulls back the reigns a bit on 2006's Aphrodisiac and the disc shows he can groove a bit easier and still keep the party going. Williams' backing band for this set is Iowa City's latter-day organ groove merchants the Diplomats of Solid Sound who, as expected, don't generate the same sort of noisy attack as the garage rock upstarts he's most frequently been teamed with in recent years. The result is a more laid-back and funky groove that's soulful but potent at the same time, fusing '70s blaxploitation sounds, Jimmy Smith-style jazz figures, and Booker T.-influenced R&B workouts into one solid package. Williams gives as good as he gets on these sessions, and if his voice is a bit frayed around the edges, the old-school toasting of "Uptown Hustler," the potent lovers' pleading of "I'm Not Worthy" and "I Don't Need May (Juana)," and the post-Hurricane Katrina lament of "Three Sisters" confirm the spirit is still more than willing. Williams has certainly sounded more physically powerful than he does on Aphrodisiac, not surprising for a man of 70 years, but he's still capable of getting on the good foot, and this album's biggest drawback is its running time -- at a mere 29 minutes, this album doesn't fuel the party as long as it could or should, though the quality outweighs the quantity. ~ Mark DemingUncut

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