Jontavious Willis (from the album West Georgia Blues

Jontavious Willis (from the album West Georgia Blues

Jontavious Willis (from the album West Georgia Blues available on Strolling Bones Records) (by Danny McCloskey)
Graciously offering a welcome into his latest release, Jontavious Willis beckons ‘c’mon folks and let’s take a ride’ The cut opens West Georgia Blues with acapella voices and a slapped knee beat the only musical accompaniment. A shuffle keeps feet flapping for the advice of “Keep Your Worries on the Dance Floor” as Blue notes are finger-plucked to support “Earthworm Basement Blues”. Jontavious Willis wonders “Who Gonna Hear It”, sharing the inspiration of “Too Close to the Finishing Line”, and tripping over a tangle of notes for the telling of “Charlie Brown’s Blues”.
 
The Blues is alive and well throughout West Georgia Blues, Jontavious Willis honoring musical traditions in the Blues as he contemporizes the soundtrack behind each tune with a wide array of instrumental accents, clutching each story with the heat-seeking missile that is his voice. West Georgia Blues counts ‘seventeen days’ to mark the sorrow of “Broken Hearted Moan” and supplies a dirty groove to “Lost Ball” with a cacophony of rattling rhythms and playing that sounds oh-so-sweet. Jontavious Willis began a career in music as a teenager accompanying Blues legend Taj Mahal on stage and joining Taj and Keb’ Mo’ for the joint TajMo tour in 2017. Finger-picked notes and a thick bass line ride persistently underneath the haunted tones of “Ghost Woman” while Jontavious Willis introduces “Lula Mae” over a scratchy juke-joint blast of sound and becomes a smooth crooner for the bright bounce of “A Lift is All I Need”.
 
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