Heads Up! (Lil' Ed Williams album)
| Heads Up! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2002 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | Alligator | |||
| Producer | Ed Williams, Bruce Iglauer | |||
| Lil' Ed Williams chronology | ||||
| ||||
Heads Up! is an album by the American musician Lil' Ed Williams, released in 2002.[1][2] It was his fifth album for Alligator Records.[3] He is credited with his band, the Blues Imperials.[4] Williams supported the album with North American, European, and Asian tours.[5][6] Heads Up! debuted at No. 14 on Billboard's Top Blues Albums chart.[7]
Production
[edit]Heads Up! was produced by Lil' Ed and Bruce Iglauer.[8] Lil' Ed and the band recorded 32 songs in three days; he wrote 11 of the songs that were chosen for the album.[9][10] His wife, Pam, wrote "My Mind Is Gone".[11] His stepbrother, Pookie Young, played bass on Heads Up![12] "Black Night" is a cover of the Jessie Mae Robinson song.[13] "Ed Heads' Boogie" is an instrumental paean to the band's fans.[14]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [10] |
| The Gazette | [15] |
| Ottawa Citizen | [16] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [17] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | [18] |
The Ottawa Citizen called Lil' Ed the "spiritual descendent of houserocking giant Hound Dog Taylor."[16] The Philadelphia Inquirer praised "the achingly brooding 'I Still Love You'."[18] The Toronto Star noted that Lil' Ed's "voice is more tough and gruff than tender, with fat hints of Taj Mahal."[12] The Gazette said that Lil' Ed fronts "one of the tightest rhythm sections in the blues."[15] The Chicago Tribune opined that, "blues being blues, Williams, a decent guitarist, over-solos on 'Black Night' and 'I Still Love You'."[19] The Associated Press determined that Lil' Ed "doesn't so much play slide guitar as wrench the life out of it."[20]
AllMusic advised: "Listen to 'The Creeper' to get an idea of the savage fury that he can channel through his slide guitar work. This disc manifests that feel for the blues that can't be taught, but must be both lived and seen from the inside."[10] The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings wrote that the album "fizzes with presence and immediacy."[17]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Woman in the Castle" | |
| 2. | "Never Miss Your Water" | |
| 3. | "Natural Man" | |
| 4. | "The Creeper" | |
| 5. | "My Mind Is Gone" | |
| 6. | "Four Leaf Clover" | |
| 7. | "Lil' Ed's Home Cookin'" | |
| 8. | "Black Night" | |
| 9. | "Empty House Tour" | |
| 10. | "Computer Girl" | |
| 11. | "Ed Heads' Boogie" | |
| 12. | "I Still Love You" | |
| 13. | "I Love My Baby" |
References
[edit]- ^ Hunter, Colin (8 Aug 2002). "Blistering Blues". Guelph Mercury. p. D10.
- ^ Hanson, Karen (2007). Today's Chicago Blues. Lake Claremont Press. p. 176.
- ^ "Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials Biography by Jim O'Neal". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ Weinberg, Bob (30 Jan 2005). "Blues". AE&TV. South Florida Sun Sentinel. p. 3.
- ^ Sienzant, Tony (27 July 2002). "Wild, wonderous noise of Lil' Ed caps blues fest night". The Morning Call. p. A53.
- ^ Zimmer, Willy (22 Aug 2002). "Musicians on the move". Casper Star-Tribune. p. C1.
- ^ "Billboard Top Blues Albums". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 32. Aug 10, 2002. p. 56.
- ^ Shellberg, Tim (30 Aug 2002). "Lil' Ed Williams boasts bloodline to blues scene". The Times of Northwest Indiana. p. D7.
- ^ Puckett, Jeffrey Lee (26 Jul 2002). "Lil' Ed rocks the house!". Weekend Extra. Courier Journal. p. 6.
- ^ a b c "Heads Up Review by Bob Gottlieb". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ Lundstrom, Jim (30 Jan 2003). "With a new outlook, Lil' Ed ready to take blues into the future". The Post-Crescent. p. A9.
- ^ a b "Gritty, gifted and raucous blues from Chicago". Toronto Star. 8 Aug 2002. p. G3.
- ^ Guarino, Mark (23 Aug 2002). "Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials, 'Heads Up!'". Time Out!. Daily Herald. Arlington Heights. p. 6.
- ^ Dupont, David (25 Sep 2002). "Lil' Ed still plays on the wild side". Arts & Entertainment. Sentinel-Tribune. Bowling Green. p. 8.
- ^ a b Regenstreif, Mike (15 Aug 2002). "Blues". The Gazette. p. D8.
- ^ a b Provencher, Norman (3 Aug 2002). "Blues". Ottawa Citizen. p. I4.
- ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 706.
- ^ a b Cristiano, Nick (4 Aug 2002). "Blues". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. H10.
- ^ Knopper, Steve (17 Sep 2002). "Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 4.3.
- ^ Reindl, James (2 Aug 2002). "Popular Music". The Cincinnati Enquirer. The Associated Press. p. 34.