Because
Alex Williams
is signed to
Big Machine
, the Nashville powerhouse that
Taylor Swift
and
Rascal Flatts
call home, there may be a tendency to view
as the pop version of
Chris Stapleton
-- a singer/songwriter who is riding a trend instead of creating it. Truth is more complicated than this reductive formula, of course.
Stapleton
himself worked his way up through the farm system of Music City long before he struck paydirt with his 2015 album
Traveller
, a record so successful that it shifted the tides of a certain portion of Nashville.
opened the door for a record as influenced by '70s outlaw country as
Williams
' 2017 debut
Better Than Myself
to be considered mainstream, and that's a good thing. With the assistance of producer
Julian Raymond
-- a Grammy winner for
Glen Campbell
's 2014 song "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" --
expertly re-creates the lean, rangy sound of prime
Waylon Jennings
.
moves with a relaxed, confident swagger and its leathery rhythms are dressed in snapping Telecasters and winding steel guitar. It's a perfect bed for
' drawl, and his laconic delivery not only recalls that of
Jamey Johnson
, but signals his age. Where his idol
Waylon
boasted a full-throated vocal style,
feels appealingly lackadaisical, with a laid-back attitude that suits his tales of freak flags, old tattoos, strange days, and weed quite well. As sheer sonics, all these qualities make
pleasing, but it sustains its pleasure thanks to the sturdiness of
' songcraft. He learned a lot about constructing songs from listening to those old records, so he gives
Raymond
a good framework upon which to build these outlaw fantasies. It all adds up to a fine debut that's as effective as pure music as it is individual songs. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine