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For those who have witnessed the free for all, uncensored zone called slam poetry it is truly an adventurous and occasionally unpredictable ride. Since his childhood, Saul Williams has fed off the energy of live theater and freedom of poetic license. Naturally, these two gifts stirring inside Williams inspired him to pursue a graduate degree in acting and philosophy, which in turn led him into slam poetry - a unique art form informed by dub poetry, rhythmic pacing, the cadences and sensibilities of hip-hop and the sharp showmanship of performance art. As one of the idiom’s most respected figures, Williams was spotlighted in two films that introduced competitive poetry slam, a largely underground sensation, to a wider audience. The documentary, Slam Nation, featuring Williams and the New York-based Nuyorican Poets during a 2006 competition in Portland, Oregon, earned the praises of major film critics and was broadcast on cable TV in the early millennium.
For those who have witnessed the free for all, uncensored zone called slam poetry it is truly an adventurous and occasionally unpredictable ride. Since his childhood, Saul Williams has fed off the energy of live theater and freedom of poetic license. Naturally, these two gifts stirring inside Williams inspired him to pursue a graduate degree in acting and philosophy, which in turn led him into slam poetry - a unique art form informed by dub poetry, rhythmic pacing, the cadences and sensibilities of hip-hop and the sharp showmanship of performance art. As one of the idiom’s most respected figures, Williams was spotlighted in two films that introduced competitive poetry slam, a largely underground sensation, to a wider audience. The documentary, Slam Nation, featuring Williams and the New York-based Nuyorican Poets during a 2006 competition in Portland, Oregon, earned the praises of major film critics and was broadcast on cable TV in the early millennium. And, in 1998, Slam, co-written and starring Williams in a story of a young MC who survives off his lyrical prowess, won a Grand Jury Prize at The Sundance Film Festival. More than a star in film, coffeehouses, and competitive stages around the world, Saul Williams is a respected recording artist whose work may finally find an audience beyond its bohemian niches to again receive a brighter spotlight.
With his many poetic moods and other talents, more doors opened for Williams following his debut film, with eclectic musical collaborations, including: The Roots, Erykah Badu, Rick Rubin and Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails). From the Rubin-produced, Amethyst Rock Star in 2000 to Reznor’s production The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust, Williams easily tailored his aggressive lyrical flow and subject matter to various musical genres such as industrial noise, hip-hop fueled rock and reggae, to name a few.
Williams’ latest recording, Volcanic Sunlight, is considered to be his most pop-flavored effort to-date, yet the overall mood does not lessen his gut-wrenching, freestyle personality. The hard-hitting industrial-induced “Patience” talks about the never ending battle of remaining cool: “Patience over anxiety/It's hard to remember the love that sprang from simplicity/Is harder to maintain.” “Diagram” drops a hand-clapping, sonic soundtrack with Williams’ delivering a captivating analogy of being redeemed by love: “Crutches where wings should be/You swoop down for me/Come to rescue me.” “Fall Up” with its ambient funk overtones illustrates the dramatic sacrifices of love: “I have survived the waterfall/And the rocks underneath.” The title track centers on William’s pulsating chants of “get it right” with intense snares, cymbal crashes and ambient keys. “Give It Up,” anchored by a British-influenced Merseybeat, presents a sarcastic picture of those who want to find faults with each other: “And all the moments you resent your vulnerabilities are see-through.” “Innocence” lashes out at what innocence seems to be: “Distant cousins in the world beneath where skies are very deep.”
Volcanic Sunlight has its share of ups and downs. The latter occurs when Williams dabbles with the lyrically thin “Girls on Saturn” and lackluster orchestrations behind “Rocket.” Fortunately, the bumps on Volcanic Sunlight are few as Williams remains focused on expressive vocal and spoken word skills, musicianship and perceptive lyrics that has deemed him as more than a slam poetry icon. Recommended.
By Peggy Oliver