Ellis Williams, Call to Battle, 2016

ellis williams - call to battleThis is the sophomore album by singer and trumpeter Ellis Williams. And before you click away, I urge you to stick around and continue reading. Self described as a jazz funk album, to me this is much more than that. In fact I am tempted to say that any lover of music will find something to his liking on it.

Yes, in a lot of songs the trumpet rules, but in all honesty you completely forget about that. Not because it is tucked away on a few spots. No, the trumpet is used to maximum effect here. It can be the vocalist singing nice melodies. It can be a player soloing away. Often parts are doubled or even tripled, with counter melodies and all.
And talking of vocals, Ellis sings too, and not half bad either. In fact I love his voice, a lot of soul in it, and he really reaches out.
The songs are very varied, exploring many genres in between them. Jazz and funk yes, but also rock, pop, soul, the list goes on. And the good thing is, it never sounds far fetched or in-cohesive.

For me an album that deserves a huge audience. Real music from a guy that puts his heart and soul in it. I am very impressed, so please go check him out!