Billy Paul Williams has some serious production credits under his name, and it comes as no surprise that Williams found his way over to Kriztal. "Miles to Go" is Williams' 2004 debut album with Kriztal and showcases a world of jazz stylings from the artist/producer himself.
Mainly focusing on positive nu-jazz electro elements, Williams accurately displays solid instrumentation and movement throughout the album. The opening title track is obviously the artist's own homage to Miles Davis and features Josh Garner on trumpet. Although the first track is extremely well produced, the following Thrill Kill Kult-styled vocal samples and unbalanced levels quickly steal away the groove. It takes several more tracks for the album to again make some sort of sense.
It moves though an ever changing and mostly intelligent landscape of pseudo-analog beats and instrumentation such as hip-hop with bossa rhythms featuring electric piano and downtempo lounge with amen jungle accents and electric guitar. The instrumentation throughout is impressive and features electric piano, Rhodes, upright and electric basses, vocals, synths, strings, and a variety of percussion elements. Williams' dance music production experience rears its head during the album's home stretch as he passes a "funky drummer" beat right into a heavy "four on the floor" drive with accuracy and zeal. The dance tracks are fairly minimal and jazzy for the most part, and could possibly find themselves in the Naked Music/Disco Kandi section of any record shop. The track "So In Love" features vocalist Charlotte McKinnon's vocals bounced over a pitch shifter. In fact, the passé pitch shift vocal work on at least 3 tracks is one of the only hang-ups of the entire CD.
Overall, the production and composition of the album is tops, and the jazz roots that fuel the fire are true to form. Williams knows his "theory," there is no question with that. And now, Billy Paul Williams is in the spotlight again for his work on "The Porter Project" album for Kriztal that pays homage to songwriting mastermind Cole Porter, and still riding high from licensing props from his smash hit house track with Robbie Rivera called "Sex."
If you are looking for a solid nu-jazz sound without all the bad-electro hoopla jive, be sure check out any of Williams' works.
