Silky
Williams made his nickname of "Mr. Rhythm" by talking his way through a series of fun, creepy, sleazy-sounding R&B; records back in the '50s. The 1998Silkyis a lot more, uh, explicit (there's a big difference between "Bacon Fat" and "Let Me Put It In"), and Williams sometimes sounds unconvinced by the words he's drawling, though his torn-up purr slyly makes the point of "Only Black Man In South Dakota." The band behind him--a group of garage rock all-stars including members of the Gories and Demolition Doll-Rods--is terrific, backing him up with an echoey multi-guitar roar that's nothing like what he used in his R&B; days, but suits his rasp nicely.--Douglas Wolk