Alison Joy Williams, How You Look At Things, Self Released

By Peter “Blewzzman” Lauro © April 2025

Prelude                                                                

Alison Joy Williams and I go back a bit. We first met – as I meet so many other artists for the first time – through Mary4Music.com. In the summer of 2011, the same summer our website received the “Keeping The Blues Alive Award”, Alison submitted her second release – Love All Of Me – for review. After that, there was no looking back. In 2012, and then again in 2014, we featured songs of Alison’s on Volumes One and Four of our nine-disc compilation series titled “Mary4Music Presents: Keeping The Blues Alive”. As a matter of fact, in 2012 we got to meet at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis, and that’s when our relationship became a friendship. Unfortunately, life and geography don’t allow us much hang time, but it’s rare that we don’t touch base every few weeks, and she is one of a very short list of people I can talk with for an hour or more on the phone. Alison, you’re the best! I hope this new release propels you to where you belong – in the upper echelon of women in blues.

Review

When Alison Joy Williams refers to herself as being an artist, a songwriter and an author, she likes to say “I’m a little bit of everything”. Although I won’t disagree with that, I think she may be selling herself ‘a little bit’ short. Take it from me, as I sit here listening to her latest release, there is ‘whole lot’ going on.

On How You Look At Things, Alison – on lead and harmony vocals, is joined by: Bart Walker on lead guitar; Mike Durham on lead and rhythm guitar; Daniel (Goose) Gossett on lead and rhythm guitar, and harmony vocals; Pat Lassiter and Ralph Friedrichson on bass; Eric Robert and Gene Rabbia on keys and B-3; Williams Ellis on drums; Max Abrams on saxophone; Joel Astley on harmonica; and Jonathan Well on harmony vocals. All of the disc’s twelve tracks are Alison Joy Williams originals and/or collaborations.

Everyone knows that it was Don Corleone who was notorious for making an offer that couldn’t be refused, but as I sit here listening to Alison boldly and provocatively shout “Make Love To Me Now”, that offer has to be right up there with the Godfather’s. C’mon, how do you say no to that? Interestingly, this song is about a heated argument and her way of attempting to end it by promising him she’ll give him a whole other reason to shout. Hot damn, girl! Already hot, the fiery rhythm coming from Pat and Williams – on the bass and drums – along with fervent B3 runs by Eric; and the absolutely scorching guitar leads of Bart’s; really turn up the heat on this one. In the meantime, the boss lady is just being herself and belting the hell out of the blues.

On the title track, Alison offers some advice on attitude and optimism. As she sees it, so much can change just from “How You Look At Things”. During my review of her Love All Of Me CD I noted that “She’s got power and range, and knows how to use them“, and this is just one of many tracks that will testify to that. Musically, led by another brilliant guitar performance from Bart, this world class band is again masterful.

“Mayday Mayday Mayday”, said so fast and so urgently as if it were one word, are never good words to hear – or even worse, words you have to say. In this particular situation, thankfully not a true life and death matter, it’s a catastrophic relationship Alison needs to be rescued from. Put this one in the hands of Taylor Swift, Gwen Stefani, Adele, or Lady Gaga and it’s a guaranteed chart topper in any genre. Everything about this song has smash hit written all over it.

On the intro to “When Love Comes To Hold Me”, it took Eric’s soothing piano notes and organ chords all of fifteen seconds to put a smile on my face. In that time, he told me I was about to be hearing a slow and bluesy ballad. Then Alison started singing and it was game on. I love ladies who can belt the hell out of the blues, rock the hell out of smoker, and take me to church with a Gospel song, but in my book, if you can’t give me the chills with a ballad, your resume is incomplete. Box checked, Alison! This one is about finding a love that holds you for a lifetime and her performance here leaves no doubt that she’s found it.

Of course she wasn’t thinking this at the time, or maybe she was, but on “Love Ain’t Good Enough” I imagined Alison walking into the studio and saying, ‘Give me the damn mic I am ready to sing!” If there were a vocal class on singing like your life depended on it, this one would be mandatory listening. Wow!

“Leave Me To Cry” is the disc’s dance floor filler. It’s a rhythm fueled smoker with some of the disc’s best B3 organ work coming from the hands of Eric. Lyrically, the chorus line of “Leave me to cry”, done in harmony, makes it a sing-along as well. As much as this will appear to sound like an oxymoron, the rhythm section is at disc’s best on this one.

Although “I know you don’t understand the way I think. That’s okay, ’cause on any given day I don’t have a clue what I might do or say” sounds like something the Blewzzlady might say, it is actually the opening line to “You Like Me That Way”. It’s a whimsical number about not only accepting but liking the quirky ways of one’s mate. On most reviews I do, I like to mention 50 – 75% of the songs. Occasionally, like right now, I have a hard time deciding which ones not to include. That said, with Joel Astley blowin’ some outstanding harp, there’s no way this one was landing on the cutting room floor.

The disc closes with “Live With The Storm”. It is a seven minute, steadily rising, slowly peaking number that starts…key word there, starts…to climax about mid song, and by the end it had me shaking my head in awe. Yes, I know I said it, but some things deserve to be resaid and emphasized – Alison Joy Williams’ range and power is right up there with some of the best I’ve ever heard.

Other tracks on this very impressive release are: “I Ain’t Easy To Love”; “Edge Of The Blues”; “Weakness”; and “Wish I Did”.

Before I close, I’ve got to give kudos to everyone involved with this project. From the disc’s lyrics; to the way they were so flawlessly sung; to the musicians who masterfully performed the music; to the mixing, mastering and producing; this is unquestionably one of the best overall products I’ve had the pleasure to work with. Thank you all for making my job easy and very enjoyable.

To find out more about Alison Joy Williams, just visit her website at – www.alisonjoywilliams.com