Don Williams Albums (32)
'At His Best'
Release Date 1/1/2005
Tracks 11
Label Classic World Productions
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Silver Turns to Gold'
Release Date 7/23/2002
Tracks 12
Label Row Music Group
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What The Critics Say
Silver Turns to Gold is an aptly titled CD for legend Don Williams; though age is bringing silver to his hair, his music is still solid gold. The album is exquisitely produced, and Williams' James Taylor-like vocals make the listener feel as if he/she is floating on a cloud. The liner notes of this quasi-tribute reveal that each of the songs holds special meaning for Williams, which is certainly why each one is crooned to perfection. The Nashville sound of "Pretend" is captivating, while the versatility of other album cuts, such as the cover of Rod Stewart's "Reason to Believe," prove Williams as one of country's top vocalists. As always, the songs are simple and to the point. Material from top industry songwriters Gordon Lightfoot and Carole King share disc space with Williams' own material and that of son Tim Williams. Altogether, this is some of the most sincere Don Williams music to date. ~ Rick Cohoon, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Don Williams' first major release after toiling around indieville for a half-decade is a real winner, a honky tonk reverie by a weathered cowboy turning his own page of life (this album was recorded when Williams was 59 years old). Wide-open stories of friendship, love, morality, and, yes, home on the range grace I Turn the Page with an elegance and sparkle that only a seasoned vet could bring to them. And while hints of his Nashville hitmaking machinery from a couple decades past pops up occasionally (in the somewhat canned production and playing of the usual sidemen), Williams himself keeps the album in a relaxed mood, riding the rails of his heart and home with an emotional conviction that's soaked in ever-glowing sunshine. And his voice, once among country's most emblematic, has become an imperative tool, infused with gratitude and devotion to his life and everything it touches. ~ Michael Gallucci, All Music Guide
'Borrowed Tales'
Release Date 8/8/1995
Tracks 13
Label American Harvest
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Volume Three'
Release Date 1/1/1995
Tracks 10
Label Universal Special Products
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What The Critics Say
By the time he released Volume Three, Williams had found his laid-back style and knew exactly what songs would exploit that sound to its fullest. That may mean that Volume Three doesn't feel as immediate or fresh as Volume One, but that also doesn't necessarily mean that it's a lesser album. If anything, it's more consistent. From beginning to end, there's hardly a bad track on Volume Three, with a number of songs -- such as "The Ties That Bind," "Goodbye Isn't Really Good At All," "I Wouldn't Want to Live If You Didn't Love Me" and "I've Turned You to Stone" -- qualifying as real gems. This is the record that catapulted Williams to stardom, and after just a cursory listen, it's easy to see why. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good'
Release Date 1/1/1995
Tracks 10
Label MCA
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
A year after his biggest-selling record ever, the pressure was on Don Williams to deliver, and he did. While Especially for You didn't sell quite as well as I Believe in You, it sold plenty. Economics aside, it is -- like all of Williams' work from the mid-'70s through the early '90s -- remarkably consistent, full of great songs and the now trademark production sound of Williams and Garth Fundis. There are some new twists here as well. While the song catch this time out was as good as any, with contributions from Bob McDill, Rick Beresford, Roger Cook, Dave Hanner, and other cats in the band such as Dave Kirby and Charles Cochran, there are two covers here of a very special nature. The first is the album's opener, "Fair Weather Friends." Written by Joe Allen and Johnny Cash, the song feels as if it were written for Williams despite the steady but muted Cash rhythm that is ever present in the song. One can hear Cash's voice singing it too, as he has for years, but this version doesn't sound so much like a proclamation or exhortation, but like a fireside chat from an elder to a younger. The other is a duet with Emmylou Harris on a read of Townes Van Zandt's jewel "If I Needed You," which kicks off side two. Astonishingly faithful to the original and so ghostly in its slow, shimmering approach that it's almost not even there, it has the wallop of an emotional train wreck. Perhaps this track should have closed the set instead of opened its second half, because the voices of Harris and Williams move toward each other so effortlessly, so full of elegiac passion, that the other cuts can't complete, though they are excellent works. Oh well, at least the material is here and as an album it sticks up. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
