OLD REVIEWS
Trev Williams
REVIEW OF MUSIC WORKSHOP in Carterton
Mind in Carterton and the members who attended Trevor's music group would like to say a big thank you for the enjoyable experience. Sitting here listening to our finished CD, we would encourage other day centres, if you haven't already done so, to book Trevor for yourselves!From a blank page, Trevor has taken us on a journey, from brainstorming our thoughts on what our song could be about, to practising rhythms and tunes and putting it all together, ending up with our own song that holds our personal experiences, our creative thoughts and memories.
A great group opportunity, lots of fun, and a chance to come together and create an end product we can keep and be proud of!
Our CD ends with Trevor's own moving song, SLOW DOWN - you have to hear it - a talented young man, we really wish you success in your career.
From Lolly and Jan and our members from Carterton
Taken from Oxfordshire Mind's 'Notes of the Week' 2nd December 2005
REVIEW OF 'SLOW DOWN' march 2005 from SA Promotions
Trev Williams has never been one for producing predictable, safe collections of music, (thank God - it wouldn't suit him at all!) and 'Slow Down' is no exception! With the usual trademark of quirky and unusual arrangements providing the musical backdrop for suprisingly emotional and touching lyrics, 'Slow Down' offers around 31 minutes of compelling, addictive music. Oh yeah, and 46 seconds of off-the-wall insainity (well I'm certainly relieved that Keith's pet frog managed to finally rid himself of those pesky fleas at last!). Highlights for me are Seaside and Pretty City Boy, on account of their pop-fuelled, raucous energy. Elsewhere, May God Love You, Dragon and Slow Down deliver their simple, beautiful messages with striking impact, and Trev demonstrates the subtler, more sensitive side to his multi-faceted song-writing ability. 'Slow Down' is a more mature, developed work than Trev's previous album, and, listening to it, you get the feeling that this is someone who's been to a lot of places since 'My Girl'. A thoroughly engaging and inspiring album.
REVIEW OF 'MY GIRL' march 2005
The nine-track CD, My Girl, opens with the eponymous number, which settles into a cheeky, bouncy groove, over which a loose, raucous set of guitars provides the backdrop to Trev’s Beatlesesque vocal ( ‘Paperback Writer’-era, roughly). The tune is enormous fun, with clever and sparing use of synthesiser bloops and mock-audience participation, and is certainly a song which could be readily performable live, given a half-decent guitar band. The same could be said of ‘Valentine’, which is more based around the acoustic guitar, and is distinguished by some pretty if dishevelled singing, redolent of the Beta Band at their slummingly wonderful, ‘Dog’s Got a Bone’ finest. ‘Clothes Peg’ is a little more than a dash of punky energy, but Williams pulls it off pretty effectively.In contrast to these guitar-based numbers is an oddly isolated song, entitled ‘Tripped’. The entire instrumental section is a melange of synthesisers (mostly set to ‘String Pads’), over which Williams sings a haunting, refrain-like melody, with a lyric concerning a school bully or some such disagreeable person who has reappeared in the narrator’s life years later. The song is intriguing and original, but its inclusion, along with others on the record, suggests a certain stubborn eclecticism. It’s as if the album isn’t an album at all, but rather a demonstration of a jobbing musician’s wares. This feeling that Williams is an artisan rather an artist is strengthened by his inclusion of a business card in the liner notes. As is the artistically-indefensible ‘Don’t You Miss Me?’, a maudlin acoustic torch ballad which is almost a parody of indulgent singer-songwriting-as-therapy.
With all these qualifications, Williams remains a serious musician with some excellent, spirited songs. It’s about time he put a band together and tried his luck in the bear pit (literally in the case of the Walk-Off!) of the Oxfordshire live scene.
By Colin MacKinnon.
www.oxfordbands.com
"Varied and off the wall - Trev williams is perhaps destined for cult status with songs like 'Watermelon' and 'Fitness Freak'. This is an area often inhabited by maverick musicians like Robyn Hitchcock . There is a lot of variety in the available tracks.
If anyone can explain what the song 'The Tail Of Keiths Pet Frog' means, I'd be very grateful."
Review Gavin Into Music
REVIEW OF 'MY GIRL'
"Bursting with character and originality, this is one of those records that, within a few minutes of hitting play, gives you the sense that you are listening to not just a album, but a person. Trev Williams has managed to capture his own character brilliantly in this lo-fi, raw and quirky debut. The album is a real blend of styles. Punk meets out and out rock’n’roll in the raw, scratchy guitar sounds and overdriven vocals of ‘Clothes Peg’, whilst Trev shows his more sensitive side with the moving and beautifully simple ballad ‘Do You Miss Me?’ The album has a good handful of winning singles, including ‘My Girl’, ‘Valentine’ and ‘Pleased to Meet You’. At a time when far too many people are going for the obvious tricks, it is refreshing and relieving to see an artist who has the skill to be innovative and different, but still tie it up in a bundle of commercial appeal."
SA Promotions, Manchester
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