Zane Williams Trio and Brett Dennen, presented by Sings Like
Hell. At the Lobero Theatre, Saturday, December 9.
Reviewed by Felicia M. Tomasko
fiery gates produced a raucous evening of two singer/songwriters
with divergent styles, who each pulled off a crowd-pleasing event.
The evening started with Zane Williams, an S.B. newcomer from
Nashville, who delivered poignant songs from his just-released
album, Hurry Home. Williams is a young version of the craggy
country singer, with a resonant voice that transcends labels. With
Andy Hall on dobro and Matt Raum on mandolin, Williams announced he
was performing the new album in order, beginning with “Livin’ in
the Good Old Days.”
Apparently, Williams doesn’t take himself — or his songs — too
seriously; the performance featured a number of humorous ditties,
including “You Don’t Know Jack,” a tune about a scheming bank
robber, and a beat-boxed song about Sings Like Hell that Williams
wrote just before the show. But the highlight of the performance
was “Hurry Home,” the song that won the John Lennon Song of the
Year award, and deservedly so.