Andre Williams with The Diplomats of Solid Sound, Aphrodisiac

Andre Williams is a soul/R&B singer that got his start in the ’50s and came pretty close to stardom, but never quite made it, despite writing a number of songs that became hits for other artists. He released a few singles of his own, but his voice isn’t your traditional singing voice — on his big hit, “Bacon Fat,” he spoke over the song in a style similar to that of rap yet to come, although Williams’s style wasn’t as developed as the later one. On Aphrodisiac, Williams sings as well as talks, and his rough singing style works well on the record, with its straightforward ’50s/’60s-sounding production and only a few modern touches. The production is very tasteful — there’s nothing here that sounds out of place.

He leads off the record with “Hold Up,” an energetic, uptempo Andre Williams advertisement — the song is basically an excuse to keep repeating his name as often as possible. And to his credit, you don’t get bored listening to it. The instruments all work together, starting with a cool intro riff, and the horn riffs during the verses are also effective. If you forget his name on the way to the record store, sing this one and you’ll remember whose album it is. “What’s his name?” “Andre Williams!”

“I’m Not Worthy” is a great song about an alcoholic and the woman that loves him, with a lot of nice touches — the distorted bass makes the song ominous, especially when it repeats the riff during the verses, when it’s the only thing behind the vocals. The verses build nicely to the chorus, and attention is shown even to the bridge, where he doesn’t sing over the first. It’s all very simple but very effective. His vocal articulation is a little off on this one, though; the problem hurts several of the tracks.

Backing band the Diplomats of Solid Sound does its best to save the weaker songs on the album. “Three Sisters” is a song about Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma, and Rita that suffers from weak lyrics and an okay melody, but the band still has fun and comes up with some nice backing riffs. “Chrysler 300” is another throwaway song that’s saved by the band, particularly by the swing rhythm that they break into at the end. And the band gets its chance to shine on “Thunder Thighs,” an instrumental that it runs away with.

You certainly don’t hear much music like this these days, and for that alone, Andre Williams deserves credit. But the record is good in its own right as well, thanks in no small part to the members of his band — their backing works perfectly behind him. Memo to Andre: keep these guys around.