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DICKY WILLIAMS & THE KEN MASSEY GROUP "I'm Back Again" |
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Dicky Williams & The Ken Massey Group commercial MUSIC VIDEO!
1. I'm Back Again  REAL BLUES MAGAZINE DICKY WILLIAMS AND THE KEN MASSEY GROUP: I’M BACK AGAIN (CDS RECORDS) The Ichiban Records Story is one of the most compelling, amazing, but ultimately, heartbreaking stories in a business with a long history for such sagas. Ichiban emerged in the late 1980s (out of Atlanta, Georgia) to become by the early 1990s, the most respected and successful Independent R&B/Blues record label in North America with a roster that was almost entirely Black. Massive radio hits were commonplace and by 1994, Ichiban ‘owned’ Southern R&B radio from California to Florida. Many veteran artists found a home with Ichiban and the first-rate production crew at the label also guaranteed that obscure-but-talented acts had incredibly enjoyable and exceptional commercially viable albums in the marketplace. People like Luther ‘Houserocker’ Johnson, Travis Haddix, Blues Boy Willie and Dicky Williams, among others, all rose to the Top of the R&B circuit thanks to killer Ichiban albums. But, things weren’t right at Ichiban. Despite all the commercial success artists complained of being owed money and allegations of improprieties began surfacing. Soon word spread that bills weren’t being paid and staff began jumping ship. By 1996, it was all over. But most of all, Blues fans and the R&B artists left ‘in-the-cold’ were the ones who truly suffered the most. Some, like Travis Haddix, soon bounced back with their own labels but others like B.B. Coleman, Blues Boy Willie and Dicky Williams suffered from the collapse. No one knows how many lives were scarred or ruined by the Ichiban demise but stop and think for a moment; imagine you are a 50-something R&B veteran who has been struggling and paying-your-dues for 30 or more years and you finally ‘make it’ with a big hit and you’re at long last getting the respect and gigs ($) you’ve deserved. You’re playing all over the U.S. and spending hundreds of hours in the Band van/bus, but you don’t mind, because you have finally made it and the audiences love you. Poof! All gone overnight. You can’t even buy copies of your Ichiban CDs unless you go to a store. I talked to probably 15 Ichiban artists following the company collapse and all but one were full of anger, bitterness and resentment. One artist I didn’t talk to was Dicky Williams. His Ichiban CD “Full Grown Man” was a masterpiece and virtually every track of his 3 Ichiban albums could be called extraordinary and totally satisfying. The man had talent to spare and his voice was a treat to behold. It would be expecting too much to hope for an Ichiban-comparable production on “I’m Back Again” as finances are obviously lacking but Dicky and bandleader/producer Ken Massey make the best/most of it on this digital-age creation. If you’re old-school (like me) and despise the eardrum bursting digital highs it will be somewhat painful getting through the first 2 or 3 tunes but patience is rewarded eventually as Dicky’s still got both the superb voice and song-writing skills and after 3 or 4 listens to this disc I’d have to give kudos to Williams and guitarist/bassist/producer Massey for making the most-with-the-leastest (finances$) and those British, European and Japanese fans of Williams will be more than satisfied. This is, after all, an album aimed at hardcore R&B fans (i.e. Black America) and Williams manages to produce at least 3 major Black Radio/Club ‘Hits’ here with the nasty ‘Dogkinda Love” leading the way with its’ bedroom banter followed by the enormously commercial “Pain In The Gas Lane” which should be a mega hit akin to the best Malaco/Waldoxy Records R&B anthems (having Dicky Williams on their roster seems like a perfectly logical match up for Malaco given Dicky’s continued hit-writing history) of recent years. “Did The Dog Get It All?” is another funky-nasty R&B gem with lyrics that will rile the censors but also have the dance floor packed and “Somebody’s Teachin’ My Woman How To Cheat” shows us that Dicky W. has The Blues covered as Massey counters Williams woe-is-me lyrics with very tasty and biting guitar fills. Dicky Williams has been around for a long time (first 45 came out in 1960) and he’s almost made it to the very top 2 or 3 times thanks to his stellar talents (he’s an R&B Poet) but bad breaks have always come his way. For those of us who rate talent by the pleasure it brings to our ears and souls, Dicky Williams has always been a REAL star. Let’s hope that the 3 sure fire hits on this CD catch on across the U.S. (and Europe) and bring Dicky Williams up to where he should be; headlining every R&B club in America and ruling R&B airwaves with Funky (and sometimes nasty) dance-inducing tunes that everyone can dig. Welcome back, Dicky Williams. 5 Bottles of Cognac for a real smooth & classy operator. This is what you call real talent. …A. Grigg
by Alan Shutro of Blues Bytes "...It's more than ten years since I held a new Dicky Williams in my hand, CDS Records' I'm Back Again. That was about the end of the successful run Ichiban Records had. I'm pleased to report that his voice has not diminished these many years and he still has that nasty pen when it comes to songwriting. His late '80s song, "Come Back P***y," was a well played tune around these parts, as was "The Same Motel." This CD centers around Dicky's dog fixation. Tracks like "Dog Kinda Love," "Did The Dog Get It All?," and "Treat Me Like A Dog" all have Dicky's sense of humor at the core. In "Treat Me Like A Dog", Dicky takes a different approach. Since society treats their dogs with ice cream and cake, diamond dog collars, and chauffeured limos, he says "go ahead and treat me like a dog, babe." "Lovin' One Woman At a Time" takes us back to Dicky's deep soul roots. In many ways this CD took me back to those partyin' '80s days when the Ichiban LPs from Gary B.B. Coleman and Artie White were on the turntable. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fine guitar playing of Ken Massey, as well as the overall great production and sound..." By Calvin Lee Hill (edited by Blues Critic) *** 1/2 One of my favorite songs of the 80s was the underground hit "Come Back P**sy"! I loved that old school Blues song. That's when Dicky Williams was with Ickyban (Ichiban). Ha! I thought Dicky might have passed on but nope! he's "back again" and he's better than ever. Now when I first got this CD I quickly jumped to the last track, "Dog Kinda Love", (Simeo's remix) 'cuz I heard it on the radio and couldn't wait to hear it again. That's some slick Southern Soul production my boy Simeo did on there! And who's this Ken Massey? Cat can tear it up on that gee-tar! There's also a jazzier laid back tempo version too that's just as good. Had me leanin' back in my Jeep bobbin' my head. They should've called this CD "A Dog's Life" or "Man's Best Friend" or something to do with dogs 'cuz two other tracks have "Dog" in the title. The hilarious party blues/dance jammy "Did The Dog Get It All?" has Dicky singing: "Did the dog get all? All of your love babe? Did he bone it like he owned it". Then he tells her don't wanna know: "no, don't tell me, Don't tell me! Lie to me, honey!". On the slow Blues "Treat Me Like A Dog" he flips the script. See, Dicky wants to be treated like a dog. Why? Because those "dogs I've seen on TV" live larger than most of us! He says "They get ice cream and cake/Two way steaks/Chauffeur-driven limousines treated like kings and queens/They got diamond collars around their necks...go ahead and treat me like a dog babe!". Ain't that the truth. Ken Massey plays some super guitar again. All over this album. Always a storyteller, Dicky's spins a funny tale on the funky "Somebody's Teachin' My Woman How To Cheat" and he tells it like it is on "Pain The Gas Lane". (Cost me 6o bucks to fill up last week! So "I feel yer pain"). Another great one is the Deep Soul melody on "Lovin' One Woman At A Time". Otis Redding would like this one. Then there's this New Age/Quiet Storm song, "Love & Sex Is Not The Same", that is quickly becoming one of my favorites. This CD has something for everyone. My kind of BLUES. Welcome back Dicky and stick around this time.
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