What You See Is What You Get (Lil' Ed Williams album)

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What You See Is What You Get
Studio album by
Lil' Ed Williams
Released1992
GenreBlues
LabelAlligator[1]
ProducerBruce Iglauer, Ed Williams
Lil' Ed Williams chronology
Chicken, Gravy and Biscuits
(1989) 		What You See Is What You Get
(1992) 		Keep On Walkin'
(1996)

What You See Is What You Get is an album by the American musician Lil' Ed Williams, released in 1992.[2][3] He is credited with his band, the Blues Imperials.[4] Williams supported the album with a North American tour.[5] Following the tour, Williams temporarily broke up the band to concentrate on solo work.[6]

Production[edit]

The album was coproduced by Bruce Iglauer.[7] Williams wrote 12 of the album's 14 tracks; he employed a pinky slide on many of the songs.[8][9] What You See Is What You Get includes a cover of his uncle J. B. Hutto's "Please Help".[10][8] "Upset Man" was written by the band's bass player, James "Pookie" Young.[11] Eddie McKinley joined the band on saxophone.[12]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Chicago Tribune[14]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[6]
MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide[15]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[12]

The Chicago Tribune called much of Williams's music "one-dimensional contemporary blues," but acknowledged that McKinley "mercifully brightens the shuffle-heavy grooves."[14] The St. Petersburg Times opined that "the band can really dig into a stomping groove, accented by Ed's slide guitar, greasy as a just-lubricated truck axle."[16]

The Washington Post concluded that the Imperials "sound like every other baby-boomer, blues 'n' boogie bar band in the land."[10] The Los Angeles Times opined that "the Imperials are something of a detriment to Williams' purity, lacking the personality and sense of tradition that Williams so easily possesses."[17] The Houston Chronicle determined that Williams "has a seriousness of purpose that, combined with his intuitive understanding and exuberant attack, make this one of the most listenable 'classic' blues albums of recent years."[18]

AllMusic deemed the album "hard-driving good-time electric blues."[13]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Life Is Like Gambling" 
2."Find My Baby" 
3."Older Woman" 
4."Please Help" 
5."Toothache" 
6."Living for Today" 
7."Travellin' Life" 
8."Out of the House" 
9."Upset Man" 
10."Long, Long Way from Home" 
11."What You See Is What You Get" 
12."Bluesmobile" 
13."What Am I Gonna Do?" 
14."Packin' Up" 

References[edit]

  1. ^ Dicaire, David (November 5, 2015). "More Blues Singers: Biographies of 50 Artists from the Later 20th Century". McFarland – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Corbett, John (Oct 1992). "What You See Is What You Get by Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials". DownBeat. 59 (10): 55.
  4. ^ Krewen, Nick (12 June 1992). "Blues are a family affair for Lil' Ed". The Hamilton Spectator. p. D2.
  5. ^ Point, Michael (27 Aug 1992). "Blues guitar fans get a double dose...". Onward. Austin American-Statesman. p. 13.
  6. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 687.
  7. ^ The Encyclopedia of Record Producers. Billboard Books. 1999. p. 346.
  8. ^ a b Hadley, Frank-John (October 6, 1993). "The Grove Press Guide to the Blues on CD". Grove Press – via Google Books.
  9. ^ McCarthy, John (August 7, 1992). "Blues Slide Down Under and Out of the Car Wash". Northwest. Lewiston Morning Tribune.
  10. ^ a b Himes, Geoffrey (21 August 1992). "Williams Digging Family's Blues Roots". The Washington Post. p. N16.
  11. ^ Heim, Chris (24 July 1992). "Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. J.
  12. ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books Ltd. 2006. p. 706.
  13. ^ a b "Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials - What You See is What You Get Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  14. ^ a b Dahl, Bill (23 July 1992). "Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials What You See Is What You Get". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
  15. ^ MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 234.
  16. ^ Snider, Eric (18 Aug 1992). "Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials What You See is What You Get". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1D.
  17. ^ Seigal, Buddy (27 Nov 1992). "Keeping Best of the Blues Alive, Well". Los Angeles Times. p. F1.
  18. ^ Racine, Marty (July 26, 1992). "'What You See Is What You Get' Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 12.
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