Perfect timing

>> A long time brewing, Slim Williams’s
sophisticated funk is right on schedule

ACCORDING TO PLAN: Slim Williams

by SCOTT C

After 30 years in Montreal, soul man Slim Williams makes his fondness for the city no secret. “I love this place! Leave Montreal and see if you don’t desperately want to come back here in no time. So much of my music is here.” Williams released his latest album of that music, Pulse of the Planet, on iTunes back on Oct. 2, and plans to have hard copies of the record in stores for early 2008. Tonight, however, he takes the stage at Théâtre Corona for an epic show—a formal introduction to his current musical inspirations, complete with full camera crew and documentary production team. The Mirror spoke with Williams at the Phi Records office in Montreal.

Mirror: I understand you’re planning on rolling with the 12-piece orchestra for this live show you’ve got coming up.

Slim Williams: Yeah! (laughs) Actually, there’s 15 pieces. I’ve got a four-piece string ensemble that’s performing with us as well. Yep, this will be the biggest show I’ve done to date, and I’ll have all my posse up there with me. Dutch Robinson has been a vocal coach and vocal arranger on the 20 songs we recorded, and he’s been a blessing to come and do that. Along with Nancy Martinez and Daniel Lavoie, it’s all working out just how I wanted it to.

M: I still feel like this is the very beginning of the road for this record, but are you happy with the way that the whole thing has been unfolding?

SW: Well, it is still the beginning, and I am proud to say that I’m very happy with everything. That’s hard to say, being a perfectionist and all, but I’m really happy we were able to put together a great group of musicians and a good production team. The team at Phi Records has also been doing a great job in promoting the album.

M: Did this kind of relationship with a label come right on time, or could this have helped you out earlier in your career?

SW: They’ve been great, and they really share the same vision that I do in terms of the level of quality that we’re trying to achieve. They’re upholding a very high standard, and that’s exactly the same way we put the music together. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, and that this is definitely right on time. My life is going through a transformation and I’m able to express things in an older and mature way right now, and I’m glad I got the bullshit out of the way, y’know? So now we can just be real.

M: I remember when I ran into you on Queen Street in Toronto this past September—you described the music on this record in very deliberate terms. What were you calling it, again?

SW: I knew I was going to go through all of the categorizing that people do, and people always want to put it somewhere, so I’ve always called my music “sophistafunk.” Sophisticated funky music, y’know?

At Théâtre Corona tonight,
Thursday, Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m., $20