''Heads Up!'' is an album by the American musician
Lil' Ed Williams, released in 2002. It was his fifth album for
Alligator Records. He is credited with his band, the Blues Imperials. Williams supported the album with North American, European, and Asian tours. ''Heads Up!'' debuted at No. 14 on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
s Top Blues Albums chart.
Production
''Heads Up!'' was produced by Lil' Ed and
Bruce Iglauer. Lil' Ed and the band recorded 32 songs in three days; he wrote 11 of the songs that were chosen for the album.
[ His wife, Pam, wrote "My Mind Is Gone". His stepbrother, Pookie Young, played bass on ''Heads Up!''][ "Black Night" is a cover of the Jessie Mae Robinson song. "Ed Heads' Boogie" is an instrumental paean to the band's fans.
]
Critical reception
The ''Ottawa Citizen
The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
History
Established as the Bytown ''Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the ''Ci ...
'' called Lil' Ed the "spiritual descendent of houserocking giant Hound Dog Taylor."[ '']The Philadelphia Inquirer
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...
'' praised "the achingly brooding 'I Still Love You'."[ The '']Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division.
...
'' noted that Lil' Ed's "voice is more tough and gruff than tender, with fat hints of Taj Mahal."Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' opined that, "blues being blues, Williams, a decent guitarist, over-solos on 'Black Night' and 'I Still Love You'." The Associated Press determined that Lil' Ed "doesn't so much play slide guitar as wrench the life out of it."AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
advised: "Listen to 'The Creeper' to get an idea of the savage fury that he can channel through his slide guitar work. This disc manifests that feel for the blues that can't be taught, but must be both lived and seen from the inside."[ '' The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings'' wrote that the album "fizzes with presence and immediacy."][
]
Track listing
References
{{authority control
2002 albums
Alligator Records albums
Albums produced by Bruce Iglauer
Lil' Ed Williams albums