Meg Williams – Maybe Someday | Album Review

Meg Williams – Maybe Someday

Self-produced

6 songs – 20 minutes

www.megwilliamsmusic.com

Full-throated songbird/songwriter Meg Williams made a name for herself on the music scene of Rochester, N.Y., earlier in the decade, but she’s been elevating her game since relocating to Nashville about 18 months ago.

Folks in New York know her from her work as a solo and duo artist and bandleader at such venues as Lovin’ Cups and Sticky Lips BBQ Juke Joint as well as area festivals and songwriter showcases, often accompanied by bassist and music educator Danny Ziemann. Not to be confused with other artists with similar names, this Meg released her first full-length CD, Troubles To The Wind, in 2014 and followed it up with a previous EP, entitled For Now.

Often compared with Susan Tedeschi or Bonnie Raitt, Williams has been working seven nights a week since landing in Music City. A 2016 competitor in the local International Blues Challenge competition, she’s toured Southern California three times in the past year in addition to playing at B.B. King’s in Memphis, at the Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days and has already made an impact in Nashville songwriting circles, headlining multiple showcases that included name talents.

She’s penned all of the tunes on this EP, which displays her strong alto voice with pleasant, but limited range. She’s backed here in a full-band arrangement, accompanied by Dan Wecht on electric and slide guitars, Greggory Garner on bass, and Kyle Law on drums. Additional vocals are provided by Sara Rogers, and a choir composed of Sam Gonzales, Chase Walker, Wilson Harwood and Skylar Gregg adds to the mix.

All of Meg’s songs are rooted strongly in blues rock and soul without the slightest hint of country despite her new home base. The opener, “Not My Problem,” is a soulful funk that puts problems in a relationship solely on the shoulders of her man, giving him the opportunity to “stay if you wanna, leave if you wanna/I don’t care one way or another.”

Williams channels Magic Sam as she shows off her guitar skills on the loping, stop-time blues shuffle, “Bad Lovin’,” before Wacht’s featured on slide for the swamp rocker, “Little Bit Of Devil,” a warning about a woman with a troubled past, while “Maybe Someday” comes across with strong gospel overtones and a blue-eyed soul feel as it advises being optimistic and taking your time no matter what you’re facing in life.

Meg’s New York roots come to the fore in the hard-edged “You Let Me Down,” which is built atop a heavy East Coast rock beat. She can’t get the guy out of her head or give up on him despite continuing disappointments. The theme continues on the pop-flavored set ender, “I Feel A Heartache Coming.”

Short, but sweet, this EP should establish Williams on a bigger stage. Available from Amazon or CDBaby and worthy of a spin if you’re on the hunt for a new artist who delivers quality fresh tunes.

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