Garret T. Willie – Bill’s Café
Gulf Coast Records – 2026
9 tracks; 35 minutes
On Bill’s Café, Garret T. Willie doesn’t ease you in – he comes out swinging. The opening stretch is loud, guitar-heavy, and deliberately abrasive at times, built around a gravelly vocal delivery and a clear preference for density over restraint. It’s a record that leans hard into blues-rock muscle: overdriven riffs, busy arrangements, and solos that rarely hold back.
That approach gives the album its punch, especially early on, but it also sets a narrow lane. As Bill’s Café moves forward, Willie pushes that same intensity in different directions—sometimes landing on something sharp and compelling, other times feeling a bit crowded, with vocals and arrangements competing for space. The result is a record that’s consistently forceful.
At 25, Willie is already releasing his second album and toured with Kenny Wayne Shepherd, John Fogerty and Joe Bonamassa. Willie considers himself a part of a greater “outlaw storytelling” musical tradition; on the LP his grit, heart, and soul bleed through.
The album opens with “Hypnotist”, with a large, heavy sound from the start and Willie’s growling voice singing “You lie, cheat, steal. Snort coke, wheel, deal. But you ain’t got money.” Kevin McKendree and Mike Rojas provide layers of piano keys. Rapid-fire electric guitar (from Audley Freed and Willie) drives the track.
Delightful bursts of keys grace “Devil Doll”, a heavy blues tune with a boogie woogie beat. With a passionate, gritty vocal delivery, Willie sings “I sure like those wicked games we play. Spend my money liked it grows on trees. Sinful how you do how you do.” The electric guitar is wielded like a chainsaw, cutting everything in its path, in the short, contained track.
Powerful, muscular guitar playing is displayed on “Small Town People”, a reflection on small town life. A fiery, unrestrained solo, is the highlight of the track.
Heavy, crunchy guitar permeates “I’m Late”, the closing track of the album. Willie sings “I need some money and I need it fast. Gotta make it to my gig, getting low on gas, and I’m late, I’m late, always running behind. Energetic, jet-fired electric guitars and drums propel the jolly blues rock tune, with killer guitar solos.
Elsewhere, Willie shows flashes of range that push beyond the album’s dominant crunch. “Golden Highway” slows things down with gentle strumming and a more reflective tone, hinting at a country-leaning sensibility and a willingness to let melody and space carry the song.
“High Beam Blues” leans closer to tradition, with soulful, loose piano work and a more restrained vocal that feels better suited to Willie’s strengths. Even “Young Country Boy,” with its familiar structure, finds a steady groove and a bit of breathing room—something the record occasionally lacks when it’s at full throttle.
Taken as a whole, Bill’s Café feels like a young artist testing the limits of his sound. Willie’s instincts clearly lean toward power—loud guitars, big solos, and unfiltered vocal delivery—and when it clicks, it’s compelling. But the album is at its best when that intensity is balanced with restraint, allowing the songwriting and musicianship to come through more clearly. There’s no shortage of ability here; what emerges is an artist with a strong foundation, continuing to refine and shape an already promising voice.
