Aaron Williams And The Hoodoo "It Ain't Easy"
(Blues / Rock / Roots)
I give this CD, my highest rating, Five*****
Excellent CD... Thoroughly enjoyed it... Highly Recommended...
John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network)
Aaron Williams And The Hoodoo's exciting debut release, "It Ain't Easy",
represents a brilliant start to what should surely be
a lengthy and successful recording career.
Aaron Williams And The Hoodoo is all you could ask for in a
three piece Blues, Rock, and Roots Band, and a much much more, like the
opening track, “Hypnotize”, this band and their music will mesmerize you.
Info & Reviews
From Madison, Wisconsin in the Mid West of the USA, hails the exciting three-piece band, Aaron Williams And The Hoodoo – by no means a straight blues band, who, on this debut full length release, deliver a mix of rocking blues, touches of funk and more – led by the guitar and vocals of Aaron Williams, with the rhythm section of Z on bass and Eric Shackelford on drums – both also contributing vocals.
The 11 tracks on offer on “It Ain’t Easy” kick off with a brace of thunderous, funky rockers in “Hypnotize” and “Seven Days” – both showing how tight they are, but dominated by Williams impressive guitar work – fine slide, rhythm work and soloing. The title cut rides on a greasy guitar riff that gives the song a funk edge, with breathy backing vocals, courtesy of Carolynn Black and Wes Johnson.
The pace is taken down on the country-flavoured ballad “Livin’ On Love”, with its acoustic intro gradually building – a tune I guess made for radio play, with its catchy hooks and harmony vocals. “Wrong Me” sees the band rock out again, more fine guitar from Aaron Williams and nice guest Hammond B-3 from Cadillac Joe Andersen.
However, the highlights of the album for me are a couple of thumping, George Thorogood inspired songs – “Drinking Blues”, which must be a killer live; and the
marvelous “Hotel Or Motel”, which has a simply great groove and feel to it, and more beautifully toned guitar playing – and could almost have hailed from George’s late 70s heydays.
Elsewhere, “No Time For Love” delves into funk territory again, with the almost spoken ‘story’ of “Porterhouse 650” being another treat, with Williams fiery wah-wah guitar pushing the band along. The closing “Lil’ Old Lady” is a chunky rocker and a fitting end to a most enjoyable debut.
The band have absorbed some classic blues, soul and rock sounds to come up with a fresh, energetic release – and hopefully we will get to see them on our side of the ‘pond’ – and this comes highly recommended! All quite beautifully played and recorded, and by no means a traditional blues album, but well worth a listen!
1. Hypnotize 3:58
2. Seven Days 3:50
3. It Ain't Easy 4:47
4. Livin' On Love 4:03
5. Wrong Me 4:16
6. Drinking Blues 3:55
7. No Time For Love 3:40
8. Porterhouse 650 3:02
9. Hotel Or Motel 4:00
10. Decide, Decide 3:21
11. Lil' Old Lady 4:53
Decades ago, before the first rock and roll idols turned music into a product, musicians played music the way cobbler’s mended shoes and carpenters built homes. It was a trade like any other job and men did it for work, for wage. Young men would pack their station wagons with gear and travel from city to city to play their songs. For these musicians, it was not only all they wanted to do but all they could do. They were not in search of fame or fortune. It was simply a life in music. Welcome to the world of Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo.
“It’s what we were meant to do, I have to get up every morning and play my music,” Williams says. “We load our own gear; we drive hours on end for one show. But if you want it, you have to be willing to bleed it.” William’s drive is second nature. He is what some refer to in the business today as a “career” artist, a dedicated, straight-talking guy more interested in longevity than a hit single, in building a fan base than winning an award. Five years from now, you will not find him serving food or driving a taxi. He will be playing music. “I need to play music, I want a career in music and a ‘career’ is not five years, but 35.”
On their new album, It Ain’t Easy, Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo follow in the footsteps of musical archetypes like Ronnie Earl, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, The Black Keys, Kenny Brown and R.L Burnside. These artists inspire them not just for their work, but for their approach to their art. They exist outside the traditional economic constraints of “success” and “failure,” and do their own thing on their own time. “They would all be playing music whether there was money in it or not,” says Williams. “All of them would be homeless rather than do something else. In my mind, you’re either a musician or you’re not.”
Zigzagging the Midwest and South, doing it the only way they know how, Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo spends most of their time, 180 nights a year on the road. They headline most of those dates, but have also played supporting slots for the Black Keys, Bernard Allison, Walter Trout, among many others, as well as dates at some of the Midwest largest festivals.
It Ain’t Easy, their first album, is a tour de force of authenticity, covering sounds from blues, rock and roots. It’s music the way it was meant to be played, with a music-is-my-life, let’s-hit- the-road attitude. “You can’t chase a record or an idea. You get to the real meaning, make it as good as you can make it and suffer the result.” William’s appreciates the simplicity of the approach. “If it moves you, then it’s done. If it’s perfect—but you’re still not moved—then you’ve still got work to do. Music is personal, what one person likes isn’t going to please everyone. We’re in a business that you have to just accept, bad or good and just go with it.”
“This record isn’t perfect by any means. From a pop radio perspective this album has no chance. But we weren’t trying to make a radio record; we kept it honest and to our hearts. That attitude became another member of the band in the studio. If that attitude was with us at all times, we knew we were doing something right.”
“Ray Charles is my favorite singer of all time. But he doesn’t sing about things no one else has sung. Muddy Waters borrowed from Robert Johnson. But what they have behind their words are genuine and sincere and for it to mean something is all that matters. As a songwriter and performer, that’s all I can do – be genuine and sincere in my songs and performances.”
Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo’s music is unwavering, filtering blues, soul, roots, and rock through a prism of emotional authenticity. What emerges isn’t a reinvention of the wheel, rather something undeniable, and the very definition of a force of nature. It’s real American music at its core and at its best.
Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo - KARE 11 Showcase Minnesota The guys stopped by KARE 11 on their first national tour.
