Rockabilly is the illegitimate child of Country and Rock and
Roll. So it’s only fitting that
Rockin’ Jason D. Williams (the illegitimate
child of Rockabilly legend Jerry Lee Lewis) should be the one to carry the
Rockabilly banner into the 21
st century. Covering Million Dollar
Quartet members Elvis and Johnny Cash as well as Johnny Horton and Hank
Williams, (among others) “
Hillbillies And Holy Rollers" is Williams’ tribute to
his musical (and biological) influences. But rather than give a documentary-like
faithfulness to the originals, Williams reworks and reinvents the songs to make
them uniquely his own.
Opening the album and title track with, “Well, the sun rises
early in Memphis…” Williams acknowledges both the city and the studio where it
all began. Fittingly, he records this album in the fabled Sun Studios as well. Inheriting
his father’s manic piano style, Williams opens the album with some killer piano
licks of his own. Singing, “The more things change the more they feel the same.
The way we did it in ’55 is how it’s done today,” he proves that when something
works, there’s no need to fix it.
The second song, “This Is Rock and Roll,” is even more
indebted to his dad, opening with the piano intro from “Whole Lotta’ Shakin’.” With
a great driving piano and base line, punctuated by some Chuck Berry style licks
on guitar, the chorus shouts, “What is rock and roll?” to which Williams responds,
“This is rock and roll.” Although the question was already answered by the
driving rhythm.
Williams continues his assault on the ol’ 88s through the
rest of the album (the remainder of which are covers.) He breathes new life
into Johnny Cash’s “Folsum Prison” (Blues) by changing the syncopation,
speeding up the tempo and adding some boogie woogie piano riffs. If you just
heard the music without the lyrics, you’d never even know it was the same song.
After slowing down a bit for his heartfelt duet with Sarah
Gayle Meech on Hank William’s “You Win Again,” Williams kicks up his heels
again on Joe Ely’s “Fingernails;” even outpacing Ely’s frenetic original.
Williams lights up some lesser known nuggets on Johnny
Horton’s “Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor” and the Elvis soundtrack song, “Mean Woman
Blues.” If you didn’t know better, you’d
swear you were listening to a younger Jerry Lee Lewis blistering through these
two rockers.
Williams also dabbles in some jazz themes with “Sweet
Georgia Brown” and “House Of Blue Lights.” But since the album is called
Hillbillies And Holy Rollers,
Williams ends with two old time gospel numbers, “Old Time Religion” and “I’ll
Fly Away,” But someone forgot to tell his piano, because it still rocks out
even as he sings of “God’s celestial shore.”
If you’re going to cover the best, you’d better bring your “A”
game. And that’s what Rockin’ Jason D. Williams brings to this collection. He captures
the true spirit of rockabilly’s early days: fast, loose and teetering on the
edge of control. Like I said before, when something works, there’s no need to
fix it!