Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

This, of course, is not the famed Memphis record producer. This particular Willie Mitchell hails from Dallas, Texas. In the early 1980s Willie found himself a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was shot in the throat and had to endure life-threatening surgery, and was told that he might never speak again. This sort of experience affects different people in different ways; Willie found a firm platform for his rehab in the Church, and an outlet for his gratitude for his healing in songwriting and singing. This 10-track CD is all his own work, singing, songwriting, producing and arranging, and the result is okay, without being radically exciting or groundbreaking. Willie professes admiration for the talents of Donnie Hathaway and Stevie Wonder, but there's little in this album that sounds to me remotely like either of those legends, and truth to tell, it could do with less-cliched songs and a bit more vocal passion to drag it up out of the average.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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