Andre Williams — That's All I Need

Now well into his seventies, and with lots of hard living packed into most of those years, Williams is finally showing signs of slowing down in his performances and on this latest Bloodshot Records release.

The Black Godfather talks more than sings on these 10 tracks, which are less raunchy than we've come to expect (even 2008's Can You Deal With It? was full of the sexual swagger that Williams has built much of his reputation on) and are largely blues-based, with touches of psychedelic soul and rock-and-roll thrown in.

Williams seems to be looking back at his life and taking stock in quite a few of these cuts, including the title track, "My Time Will Come" and "There Ain't No Such Thing As Good Dope." Coming from a guy whose drug addiction was so serious that he was homeless for a while, that last title means something.

Just as noteworthy as Williams' contributions to these 10 self-penned tunes are those of his backing band, which includes Funk Brothers guitarist Dennis Coffey, members of the Dirtbombs, the Witches, the Sights and Electric Six, as well as producer/guitarist/arranger Matthew Smith (Outrageous Cherry, Volebeats). The guitar work is especially impressive on "Just Call Me" and "Tricks."

I often wondered if Williams could grow old gracefully, but he seems to be doing just that on That's All I Need.