Alice “Al Mac Will” Williams – Stand Still

Alice “Al Mac Will” Williams
Stand Still
Thank You Entertainment 2009
www.AlMacWill.com

On her debut solo CD, Stand Still, Alice “Al Mac Will” Williams sounds like a musical love child of Dolly Parton and Otis Redding.

Not surprising. Stand Still introduces what Mac Will terms “urban country gospel,” an intriguing blend of country-pop and soul-drenched gospel that musical luminary Stevie Wonder helped her name. Similar to Ray Charles’ album-length musical experiments blending soul and country in the 1960s, Stand Still takes modern country-pop melodies and gives them a gospel expression. Think light pedal steel, acoustic guitars and mandolin fronted by belting soulful vocals.

Yet the current single, “Stand Still,” does not give listeners the full urban country gospel experience because it leans on a heavy R&B beat. It’s best to listen to the complete album to get Mac Will’s drift. You will discover that for every R&B laden “Stand Still” and “Can You Hear Me Now,” there are songs such as “Kind of Heart,” “How Much Does it Cost,” and “Hearts and Minds of a Man” that fall within the country category.

There is one all-out gospel track, however. “Altar” is a reworking of “Is Your All on the Altar.” Mac Will infuses this song with appopriately traditional, flat-footed vocals, warbling organ and improvisational piano backing.

Mac Will wrote and arranged all the songs, demonstrating an impressive ear for radio-ready melodies. You could conclude that several of her compositions on Stand Still are more thematically kin to country than gospel because they focus on the complexities of human love relationships far more than any gospel album I’ve ever heard.

The album’s diamond in the rough is “Let Me Be a Light.” It is given a decent reading by Mac Will, but if put in the hands of a singer with the range and dexterity of a Smokie Norful or the introspetive croon of Kevin LeVar, it could become a crossover inspirational hit.

The album’s closer, “Our Nation,” is a tribute to what the U.S. could be rather than what it is today. It is “in a bad condition,” Mac Will sings, because the people have “forgotten the golden rule.” Interestingly, while this kind of social commentary was fuel for 1920s and 1930s country artists, the genre’s shift from agrarian populism to suburban right-wing conservatism has all but muzzled this kind of editorializing. Ask the Dixie Chicks about that sometime.

So the big, hairy, audacious question: is urban country gospel the newest subgenre or will it remain Mac Will’s own private musical calling card? Much will depend on the response Stand Still gets from the gospel audience and radio announcers. Personally, I think it will be hard for other artists to emulate Mac Will’s formula because it seems ideally suited to her singing style and writing proclivities, so she should keep at it, and continue to hone her songwriting skills. She just might be able to sell some of her songs to country artists. Now wouldn’t that be a hoot!

Bottom line: “urban country gospel” shouldn’t be analyzed to death because it is a fun gimmick, and if you can’t have fun serving up the good news, it’s time to reevaluate your career.

Three of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Stand Still,” “Your Will.”