Jontavious Willis — “West Georgia Blues” — Strolling Bones Records
The first time I saw Jontavious Willis, he was performing on the January, 2020, Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. I was impressed.
He was young, enthusiastic and obviously a student of the classic acoustic blues era. His knowledge easily moved beyond dry history into joyful story-telling and music-making. His acoustic guitar style was a tribute to the old masters, his personal style was lighthearted and friendly, and he had stories to tell – the stories of some of the earliest blues.
Willia already had two fine albums to his credit, and now his third and self-produced album, “West Georgia Blues,” effortlessly combines those traditional styles with an updated musical sensibility on 15 originals, without losing their essence. “Some folks sing the blues cause they know the song / But we singing these blues just to carry tradition on.”
Willis has his own origins in Greenville, Georgia; his family goes back generations — you can hear that story in the church-like, hand-clapping title track. Like many blues singers before him, he started singing in church, but got hooked on a Muddy Waters video, and his life took a new direction. His joyful determination to celebrate this blues history is obvious in his music.
What you’ll hear throughout is a masterful blend of blues guitar styles — Piedmont, Delta, Texas with fingerpicking, slide, and resonator). — that bookend original lyrics that run from the slyly lighthearted “Charlie Brown Blues” to the deep blue lament of “Broken Hearted Moan.”
“Keep Your Worries On the Dance Floor” is a joyous invitation to lose yourself on the dance floor, with rhythms made for moving your feet. “Rough Time Blues” and “Lula Mae” update old-timey sentiments with guitar licks that rock into another time.
Then there’s the lilting melody and gentle lyricism of “A Lift Is All I Need,“ which Willis describes as “a song based in jump blues and early R&B in the key of F, with a full band and myself only on vocals. The song draws inspiration from Amos Milburn. The tune is meant to motivate you in whatever you are in the mood to be motivated for – whether that’s doing sprints or sitting on a couch with the munchies watching cartoons.” Those kinds of thoughts pervade the spirit of the entire album. It’s a direct pipeline to the universal emotions of the blues.
It all wraps up with the raucous instrumental “Jontavious’ West Georgia Grind,” filled with rollicking piano and fuzzy guitar (that’s a good thing). West Georgia musicians Jayy Hopp and Lloyd Buchanan share the musical honors here, adding depth and variety to Willis’s stylings.
I’ve touched on just a few of the album’s highlights for me, but that doesn’t mean that I’m in any way opposed to the rest of the tracks! This is a fine and fun session, filled with music that invokes the spirit of early blues music, and combines it with the joy and enthusiasm of an artist who’s willing to add an eclectic touch to the blues without disturbing its essence.
If you’re a blues fan, you need this music. If you’re not a blues fan, you may need it even more!
Here’s the title track, “West Georgia Blues”:
Tracklist:
1. West Georgia Blues
2. Charlie Brown Blues
3. Broken Hearted Moan
4. Keep Your Worries On the Dance Floor
5. Rough Time Blues
6. Lula Mae
7. Ghost Woman
8. Who’s Gonna Hear It?
9. A Lift Is All I Need
10. Too Close to the Finishing Line
11. Earthworm Basement Blues
12. Squirrlin’ Mama
13. Time Brings About a Change
14. Lost Ball
15. Jontavious’ West Georgia Grind
Blues Roadhouse 