Dead Sea Café

Description

Dead Sea Café is a compilation album by the American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Brooks Williams, independently released on Silent Planet Records in 2000. (A different version of “Mystery” appeared on the Twelve New Faces sampler CD released on Myrrh Records in 1989.)

While a number of singer/songwriters never have hits per se, they nonetheless create a number of memorable songs over the course of their career. Dead Sea Cafe collects a dozen songs and a couple instrumentals by guitarist/songwriter Brooks Williams, from 1988’s «Mystery» to 2000’s «Happy All the Time». Williams’ warm vocals and skilled guitar work make him a double threat to other singer/songwriters. The rolling guitar kick-off at the beginning of «Seven Sisters» renders it immediately likable, while the tasteful slide guitar of the «Wanderer’s Song» combines the best of the Mississippi Delta with a more modern sensibility. Williams utilizes a number of guitar tunings to give each song/instrumental a rich, acoustic sound. Arrangements of «Late Night Train» and «Inland Sailor» add touches of organ and drums, but the sound remains, primarily, acoustic. Lyrically, Williams has a penchant for poetic and, occasionally, unusual phrases. «Caves of Missouri» begins with “strange light at sunset, minutes from night/nuclear-red horizon nearly blinds me with half-light.” Clearly a dark story is about to unfold. On the instrumental front, the groovy «When the Dentist Dreams» is filled with lovely cascades and a bouncy clean sound. «Before Coffee» begins like a Bach harpsichord piece, only to dip into a bluesy romp that pays homage to Django Reinhardt. So, whether one enjoys good songwriting or apt fingerpicking, Dead Sea Cafe offers a fine introduction to the work of Brooks Williams. [Ronnie Lankford, Jr., AMG]

CD tracklist:

01. Mystery – 4:21
02. Seven Sisters – 3:45
03. Wanderer’s Song – 3:22
04. Late Night Train – 5:07
05. Caves Of Missouri – 3:55
06. When The Dentist Dreams – 2:37
07. We Will Dance Someday – 3:47
08. Winter Moon – 3:03
09. If I Never – 2:30
10. Inland Sailor – 4:15
11. Jane – 3:04
12. Before Coffee – 2:49
13. Tulips In The Spring [Live] – 4:29
14. Happy All The Time – 3:08