After recording one of the sleaziest albums of recent memory, 1998's
Silky, what was
Andre Williams supposed to do for an encore? Well, with
The Black Godfather, Mr. Rhythm brings sleaze rock to new heights (or depths, depending on how you look at it). On
Silky, producer and general co-conspirator Mick Collins (of
the Gories and the Dirtbombs) rounded up an impressive team of Detroit-area grit-rock all-stars to back up
Williams, but for
The Black Godfather, Collins and
Williams went nationwide, with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion,
the Compulsive Gamblers (formerly the Oblivions), the Cheater Slicks, and the Countdowns all kicking up a fuss as
Williams wails on "Whip That Booty," "Nasty Women" "I Hate Cha," and "The Dealer, the Peeler, and the Stealer." While
Silky sounded somewhat more unified,
The Black Godfather rocks a good bit harder, and while the previous album featured the occasional moment of (relatively) subtle calm, this time out
Williams is firing on all cylinders at once and sounding as nasty as he wants to be.
The Black Godfather is loud, it's wild, and my, but it's in poor taste; if that sounds like a bad thing to you, you're best off leaving this be, but if that description sounds like fun, pick this up and have a party as
Andre Williams shows you how to Sling That Thing. Points added for the cover, a hilariously accurate parody of a typical No Limit Records package. ~ Mark Deming