Reviews/Press

“Born in Toledo, Ohio, artist Chuck Williams works and lives near the Massachusetts shores of Buzzards Bay. He is a formidable folk singer-songwriter who has been around the barn more than once. If an older style folk-roots collection is your forte you won’t go wrong with Chuck. His latest, “Stories I’ve Told,” is just that -- traditional".

For those unfamiliar with Chuck, he has opened for Cheryl Wheeler, Kelly Joe Phelps, Steve Forbert, and Jimmy LaFave, among others.

Chuck’s approach is typically relaxed, at times sentimental and always confident. What Chuck has mastered is how to pull at Americana heartstrings and tell rootsy stories through his simple and effective novella type lyrics. Nothing is overproduced or played with flash. Chuck has a personable singing style and it's not done to impress but express.

Chuck is never at a loss for words. His lyrics, at times, are rural poetry. Poetry of the forests, roads, farmlands, prairie and if there’s a touch of fantasy – in the hands of Chuck Williams it will work as a folk song. A strong example of visual imagery lives within 'Riders of the Rails' where this artist paints hoboes and small-town life – he adds railroads and colorful characters. This song reminds me of something Boxcar Willie or Freddy Fender would record. It has a maturity to it and we all know someone who may be a personality in a Chuck song. I think Chuck would be at home with an Arlo Guthrie or Hamilton Camp to sing along with.

Artists such as Justin Bieber and even Taylor Swift will never know what it’s like to sing something with a deeper meaning. Maybe with time, they will have something more serious to sing about. Maybe they will realize they can do more than just sing something that has the shelf-life of white bread.

Chuck’s band is The One Night Stand Band – and they are all proficient in their performance. The album is a four-panel color CD designed by Paula Mailloux at Bongo Beach Productions. The collection was Produced by John Mailloux and Chuck Williams and recorded in Westport, MA.

”

— John Apice, No Depression, March 2018

“Like his song "On The Line", that climbed to the Top 10 on Neil Young's Living With War: Songs of the Times chart, Williams gives another 1960's-style folk blessing called "I Want My Country Back", which criticizes the mistake of entering into armed conflict. The lyrics suggest throughout the call to peace, for people to lay down the old ways of thinking, break the mold, and blaze a new path. The collaborative effort with award winning songwriter Michael Troy shows clarity and simplicity precious to folk musicians.”

— Jim Vickers, Motif Music Magazine, 2015

“A little political energy is conjured in “I Want My Country Back,”  a song Michael Troy co-wrote with Chuck Williams and it seems they're turning the liberal folk singing tradition of the 1960’s back on them...politely and diplomatically. Sounds like a conservative (and I don't know if Michael was a conservative -- it's an assumption) can thread together an equally compelling lyric and melody to sing a meaningful and powerful song. I wonder if Peter, Paul and Mary would have covered this song? Tom Paxton, Dave Van Ronk, Richie Havens or any one of those folk singers? The door swings both ways. The problem with many of those folk singers is that they sang about important issues and injustices but they seldom suggested a solution in any of their tunes.”

— John Apice, No Depression, December 2015

“What stands out about Lightning in a Bottle is Chuck Williams' passion, lyric directness and vocal maturation. He's obviously a musician on the rise. ” - Jim Vickers, editor

— Jim Vickers, Motif Magazine, 2010

“Chuck Williams and “Lightning in a Bottle” is a tour de force in folk style songwriting,…40 minutes of introspective, folk songwriting at its finest”

— Zack Kiley, Indie Music Digest, 2010

““...singer-songwriter Chuck Williams owes a debt to folkies like James Taylor, but he does enough on 'Lightning In A Bottle' to indicate he’s his own man. Strong songs and a keen delivery are at the album’s core. The playing is tight and lucid, and the arrangements get quickly to the point allowing Williams to get his message across. If you’re in the market for a new singer-songwriter with something to say, be sure to check him out.” - Simon

— Simon, Leicester Bangs, 2010