Can you deal with it? When we are talking about the life of Andre Williams, the answer is no. Andre Williams has been from the bottom to the top to the basement to current. George Carlin once said that with the blues, it’s not enough to know what notes to play; you have to know why those notes have to be played. The ‘what’ comes via knowing how to create the sound of turmoil and strife in music. The why comes via experiencing turmoil and strife in life. Andre has had mad turmoil and plenty of strife, and his version of soul music is as close to the blues as you can get. Here is are the Cliff’s Notes of his life:

Andre’s mother passed when he was six and he moved to Detroit when he was sixteen. He found the R&B Top 10 in the late 50’s with Fortune Records, wrote Stevie Wonder’s first song in the 60’s, worked with Ike Turner, Parliament and Funkadelic in the 70’s, and was dubbed “Mr. Rhythm” by Redd Foxx. Then came the 80’s and drug addictions. At one point Andre even found himself homeless on the Chicago bridge. The mid/late nineties found Mr. Rhythm back in the studio, and he landed on my radar in 1998 with his release that same year of Silky…which, per wiki, is considered the sleaziest album ever. While the critics didn’t care for it, I (and many like me) couldn’t get enough. Then 1999 came along and he released an underwhelming (I think) album with The Sadies and I had forgotten about him until I saw his name in the subject line of a recent PR email from Bloodshot Records.

Andre Williams and The New Orleans Hellhounds - Can You Deal With It?

The curiosity was more than I could bear. I checked out the sample track…dug it…asked for the cd..and here we are. Can You deal With It? is an album of almost unprecedented punk-soul blues. Thick, humid, sweaty and sleazy…even the freaking high-hats have a bass tone to them on this album. Andre holds form with lyrics that are dirty as a pig in mud and….lemme be honest here…I’ve never heard of the New Orleans Hellhounds or their (apparently) more famous alter-ego, Morning 40 Federation, but they are the absolute perfect backing band for this album…bringing to mind the Drive-By Truckers backing up Bettye Lavette. On the third time through this album, the wife and I agreed this is what we wanted to hear the last time we were in New Orleans but never found.  If you were at the Deep Blues Festival, or if you wanted to be at DBF, this album is mos def Essential Listening for you.

Andre Williams & the New Orleans Hellhounds - Can You Deal With It?
Andre Williams & the New Orleans Hellhounds - Never Had A Problem
Andre Williams & the New Orleans Hellhounds - If You Leave Me

Andre Williams on myspace, The Morning 40 Federation on myspace, Buy Can you Deal With It?