Album Review: Willie Jones, Right Now

Not needing the likes of Billy Ray Cyrus to help him get over the proverbial hump, Willie Jones is sure to flourish in 2021 on the back of this record. Whether he's occasionally rapping his way through a countryfied arrangement or name-dropping Marvin Gaye, Tim McGraw and Aerosmith in a span of seconds, Jones gets his R&B/country/rock recipe off superbly with "Country Soul."

It's a very fine sonic tightrope Jones is walking throughout, but it's done especially well on breezy, radio-friendly future singles like "Bachelorettes On Broadway" and the ballad "Actions." Later the eye-opening "American Dream" gets to the heart of the racial injustice in America and just how much more needs to be done.

Jones sounds fresh, new and inviting while bringing to mind McGraw and Keith Urban on the groove-fueled, banjo-tinged "Trainwreck" which glides along but ends rather abruptly. And don't think "Whole Lotta Love" is a reworked country version of the Led Zeppelin classic.

If there's one drawback it's that there are three versions of "Down For It" on the 12-track album, including two remixes featuring T.I. But as the album cover suggests, Willie Jones will be hot stuff in 2021 and beyond.

Right Now was released January 22, 2021 on The Penthouse / EMPIRE.
Listen to it here.