Willie
reaches his full potential on "Gifted". The right songs.
The right sound. The right performances. 13 tracks of modern
Soul gold. The masterful Al Green-kissed "Going Crazy" from his
last record ("Full Circle") was a portent of great things
to come and "Gifted" is the fulfillment. Although he
hasn't completely abandoned mainstream R & B (as evidenced by
the sumptuous lead single "Boom Boom Boom"). At its heart "Gifted"
is classic Southern Soul. Willie Clayton is "gifted" with one
of the most elastic, yearning tenors in the business today and
he's at the peak of his powers on horn-backed ballads like
"Beautiful", "When I Think About Cheating" and his duet with
Shirley Brown on "Trust". As a footnote, the lilting, melodic
Pop ballad "My Lover My Friend" could probably even snatch up
some of that Disney money.Horns are an integral part of
Soul music and Harrison Callaway and the Muscle Shoals Horns add
layers of frosting to an already sweet éclair. The production
is crisp, full and clean on each and every track either produced
by the Clayton/Vick Allen team, Mike Snoddy or Paul Richmond.
There are too many highlights to mention but upbeat
shuffle-bumpers like "My Miss America", "Sweet Lady" and "She
Holding Back" are surefire radio staples. Even the lone two
covers are exemplary. Tyrone Davis' "Can I Change My Mind" has
been covered often but the version here is the first one that
makes the song sound fresh. Same goes for Johnnie Taylor's
"Running Out Of Lies". A lot of talent went into this project
so "Gifted" may be the album to beat come this year's
Southern Soul Awards.
Excerpts
from by Dylann
DeAnna (Blues Critic).
When you
think of the love songs of yesterday or if you want to hear
music of today, Willie Clayton is your man. Willie is not new to
this game, his gift is real and he has stood the test of time.
He is a veteran R & B singer that has been in the business for
nearly 40 years. He is known for his smooth sexy voice, high
energy and captivating presence that lets you know you are about
to be thoroughly entertained. Willie is truly one of the great
young ones. When you see Willie Clayton perform, he puts on a
fantastic show and incorporates his loyal fans into his
performances. The size of the crowd doesn’t matter, whether it
is a club atmosphere or a large auditorium, the audience is
captivated by his magnetic stage presence. The lyrics to his
songs like “Crazy” just touch your soul with emotions everyone
can relate to. He is hands on while performing and gives you the
feeling that he is singing not to a room full of strangers but
to family and friends. Ask any Willie Clayton fan and they will
tell you there is no other performer like him.
Willie is forever growing and taking his art to a new level. His
previous CD, produced by Malaco Records and EndZone
Entertainment; FULL CIRCLE is a prime example. FULL CIRCLE
smoothly blends his old school style with a little new school
flavor. This CD has it all. Blues soul tunes such as, “If You
Ever Get Lonely”, “Let’s Stay Together”, and “Meet Me Tonight”;
R&B love ballads like “All My Love”, “Can We Talk”, and “Crazy”;
Dance tunes and “Take It To Da Club”. Hold on, not only does
Willie pay homage to the Legendary Ray Charles with “Georgia On
My Mind”, and Barry White with “Playing Your Game” he hasn’t
forgotten where his gift comes from and he performs a soul
touching inspirational song titled “Hold Me” showing his gospel
roots.
Also on the ENDZONE Records label Willie Clayton has another
previous CD entitled “Changing Tha Game”. On this CD Willie
Clayton moves closer to mainstream R & B rather than Southern
Soul (retro-soul) and blues. In fact there's even a little
hip-hop in the mix ("Fact, No Rumor" features rapping by his son
dubbed "Young Bap" & the Ying Yang Twins joining Willie on the
remix of "Monkey See, Monkey Do"). But don't let that scare you
off if you don't dig rap 'because by far all the ingredients
Willie Clayton fans like are here. The first hit is "Love
Mechanic", which has a classic southern soul upbeat. There are
plenty of steamy, soulful jams like "Whipped", Curtis Mayfield's
"So In Love", the very Marvin Sease-like "I Wanna Get It On",
"Take 'um Off", etc. You also have the requisite dance tracks
("Keep Steppin'", "Monkey See, Monkey Do", "Love Zone"). Other
notables are his version of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You", the
gorgeous "Unconditionally" and the sentimental "My Mama Song".
GETTING STARTED
Born in the heart of the Delta (Indianola, Mississippi) on March
29, 1956, Willie Clayton grew up listening to blues and started
singing at the age of seven and has been doing so for nearly 40
years.
Willie Clayton left his hometown 1971 and headed to Chicago.
Like his older Windy City compatriots Otis Clay and Syl Johnson,
the young singer ended up contracted to Hi Records in Memphis,
where he worked with producer Willie Mitchell and the vaunted Hi
rhythm section.
In 1984, Clayton enjoyed a taste of soul success when his "Tell
Me" (produced by General Crook) and "What a Way to Put It" for
Compleat Records nudged on to the RB charts. Let's Get Together,
Clayton's 1993 album for Johnny Vincent's Ace logo, was a smooth
soul-blues hybrid dominated by originals but titled after Al
Green's immortal hit. “Simply Beautiful”, his Ace follow-up,
found Clayton mixing dusty by Rev. Al and Aretha Franklin with
his own stuff. “It's About Love” followed in 1999.
Willie Clayton is synonymous with perseverance. During these
early stages of his career, Willie Clayton’s albums did not
achieve the success that he hoped for; however, now that he has
joined with EndZone Entertainment, he feels he is at his best.
Willie knew he had talent and he never gave up on his dream of
doing what he loves the most - performing for his fans. When
asked about his musical journey, he had this to say, “Every time
I make a recording or a personal appearance, I am amazed at how
positive the responses are from my fans. It makes me extremely
humble to be appreciated while entertaining you with my God
given talent. These acknowledgements by you, my fans, have
touched me deeply and forever changed me in a positive way. I
hope my music continues to touch you and change you in a
positive way too.”
Willie Clayton’s experience with EndZone Entertainment has
giving him more creative freedom and he has moved closer to
mainstream R & B rather than Southern Soul, yet at the same time
maintaining the wonderful Willie Clayton sound.
AWARDS
Summer of 2004 and 2005 Willie Clayton Wins Big at The Jackson
Music Awards
More than 30 years recording and a lifetime dedicated to R&B and
soul landed Willie Clayton top honors at Jackson Music Awards.
Willie Clayton took home the International Producer of the Year,
International Male Vocalist of the Year and International
Entertainer of the Year awards. "Get out of here," Clayton
exclaimed when he first heard of his triple crown. "I credit it
to God ... The rest is hard work. At the end of the day, it's
the soul of a man. I'm a soul singer."
2004 International Entertainer of the Year — Willie Clayton
2004 International Producer of the Year — Willie Clayton
2004 International Male Vocalist of the Year — Willie Clayton
2005
International Producer of the Year — Willie Clayton
2005
International Songwriter of the Year — Willie Clayton
2005 Best
Recording by a Single Artist for I'm Going Crazy.
Willie
Clayton is one of the hottest draws on the southern soul-blues
circuit, and he shows no signs of slowing down and his new CD
Full Circle proves just that.
