(MPG) Alex Williams has announced his third studio album Space Brain, due out July 18 via Lightning Rod Records. Inspired by his longtime love for '80s metal, the new album finds Williams reinterpreting hits from Guns N' Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue, Cinderella, Motorhead and more as a collection of backwoods ballads, campfire sing-alongs and roadhouse roots-rockers. Along with the announcement, Williams shares his rendition of Ratt's "Round and Round", a smoky, Southern rock revamp that maintains the late-night indulgence of the original.
"'Round and Round' is one of my favorite songs of all time and has been since the first time I heard it," says Williams. "I have to say as far as this one goes, I had worked up an alternate version of it first, prior to making the decision to do a full album of covers. As a result, it felt more natural to lay the song down when it came time to record."
Produced by GRAMMY-winning producer and longtime collaborator Ben Fowler (Charley Crockett, Lynyrd Skynyrd) in Nashville, Space Brain doesn't push Williams away from his country pedigree but instead expands his interpretation of that sound altogether. Working with modern-day guitar heroes like Rob McNelley (Bob Seger, Wynonna Judd), Dan Dugmore (Linda Ronstadt, ZZ Top) and Mike Payne (Luke Bryan), Williams masterfully reconstructed each song, aiming to emphasize storytelling over sheer sonic power. Heavy metal and country music may seem like strange bedfellows, but there's a real reverence for the material here, with Williams breathing new life with his signature husky voice.
The end result is a record that positions Williams not only as a vocalist with arena-sized swagger, but as a formidable interpreter, too. While country music has a long history of honoring its pioneers through countless artists within the genre, Space Brain is something different: a country and roots-influenced album that nods to a different genre altogether. Few artists would venture this far outside the realm of American roots music, but Williams has never minded taking an unconventional path.
"I didn't record these songs to make a statement, or to tell people I'm different," he says. "This album is just an extension of my story. I grew up on '80s hair metal, and that music is still in my DNA. I'm always trying to make albums that represent where I'm at and what I'm feeling, but I've never had any sort of game plan. I didn't set out to become an outlaw country artist. I'm just doing whatever feels right in the current moment... and right now, this '80s metal album just feels right."
Space Brain also features Williams' and Cody Jinks' previously released gritty take on Ozzy Osbourne's "Flying High Again". The album follows his 2022 LP Waging Peace, which received widespread acclaim from Forbes, No Depression, The Bluegrass Situation and Holler who hailed the release as "smartly arranged, intricate and inventive."
This spring, Williams is hitting the road for a run of shows including stops in Upstate New York, Chicago, Nashville and more starting on May 24 - see below for a full list of dates or visit his website for more information.
Space Brain:
1. Nobody's Fool (feat. Tom Keifer) [Cinderella]
2. Ace of Spades [Motorhead]
3. Flying High Again (feat. Cody Jinks) [Ozzy Osbourne]
4. Gettin' Better [Tesla]
5. Look What The Cat Dragged In [Poison]
6. Youth Gone Wild [Skid Row]
7. You've Got Another Thing Coming [Judas Priest]
8. Wild Side [Motley Crue]
9. Round and Round [Ratt]
10. Night Train [Guns N' Roses]
Alex Williams Tour Dates:
5/24 - Alden, NY - The American Legion Post *
5/25 - New Tripoli, PA - Backyard Country Gigging
6/14 - Des Moines, IA - Free Range Music & BBQ Festival
6/21 - Cadillac, MI - Coyote Crossing Resort
6/27 - Newport, KY - The Southgate House Revival +
6/28 - Chicago, IL - Joe's Bar on Weed St. +
7/18 - Indianapolis, IN - Turntable
7/26 - Mount Horeb, WI - Mount Horeb Country Music Faire
8/1 - Nashville, TN - Chief's on Broadway
8/22 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern
8/23 - Columbus, OH - Woodlands Tavern
8/29 - Waterloo, NE - Buck's Bar and Grill
9/5 - Urbana, IL - The Canopy Club
9/6 - Brooklyn, WI - Main Street Music
9/20 - Dunn, NC - Bird's Nest Listening Room
10/9 - Whitleyville, TN - North Springs Music Festival
* with Addison Johnson
+ with Tennessee Jet and Hannah Dasher
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