Here with Me

AMG Review of Here with Me

Todd Sterling
All Music Guide

If it's hard to follow in the footsteps of a famous parent, it must be even tougher to do so when said parent is the offspring of a music legend. Singer/songwriter Holly Williams not only faces the daunting task of standing in the long shadow cast by her father, rough-and-tumble country outlaw Hank Jr., but the even longer shadow cast by the grandfather she never knew, country progenitor Hank Williams. While most famous offspring are lacking in the talent department and have to lean heavily on their family name, Williams doesn't. The comely singer drips talent on her Mercury Nashville debut, Here with Me. Her music is a pop-Americana hybrid, raw and real while at the same time polished to a beautiful shine. The singer's songs don't even hint at the contrived candyfloss schlock of 21st century Nashville. This is music straight from the gut, via the heart. Williams tackles her parents' divorce on "Mama," a clear-headed cut that gives a nod to the way her mother and father handled their breakup. The poignant "Without Jesus Here with Me," written about a March 2006 automobile accident that nearly took the lives of Williams and her sister Hilary, is a powerful spiritual number. Sparingly decorated with piano, percussion, and weeping steel guitar, the song packs an emotional punch. Other standout tracks include the rattling "Keep the Change," a pointed kiss-off tune, and the vocally stunning "Three Days in Bed," a folk-blues track anchored by a single acoustic guitar and a soul-consuming melody. Forget about long shadows -- Williams steps out into the light on Here with Me and proves she doesn't need to use the family name as a crutch.