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 Meet
Rachel Williams, You'll be glad you did!
If ever there was proof that big things come in small packages,
it's Rachel Williams. The super-sized talent in this petite
redhead has brought audience after audience to its feet--in
venues from small, intimate clubs to big, outdoor concerts.
Whether she's bringing down the house with her own brand of
rockin', R& B country or wringing hearts with a soulful
ballad, folks can't get enough of Rachel Williams.
A lot of country music fans heard Rachel for the first time
on the USA Network's Nashville Star 2 television program,
where she was one of the top 15 contestants nationwide. After
Rachel's appearance on the show, viewers from all over the
country and across the world sent her fan messages. Contest
finalist Lance Miller sums it up when he says, "Rachel
has the kind of pure voice and confident stage presence that
just blow you away."
After her success with Nashville Star 2, the next step was
natural: Rachel released her own debut CD, First Day Of The
Truth, on Regaltone Records. Produced in Nashville at a top
studio with A-list musicians, this CD allows Rachel to show
off the kind of music that she likes best, rockin', in-your-face
country. Rachel has been promoting the CD in Music City, where
the response from audiences and industry insiders alike has
been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Larry Wayne Clark of @MusicRow
says "…living in Nashville and singing better than
ever, Williams has released an indie CD that should stand
proudly beside anything coming out of Nashville this year."
 To
Rachel's fans in her home state of Michigan, it's no surprise
that Nashville audiences are knocked out. Rachel's "original"
fans have followed her progress from school shows (she says
she learned to ham it up--pun intended--in the Three Piggy
Opera in elementary school) to talent contests and major concert
events. With every performance, the ranks of Rachel's fans
have increased. She has proven her appeal to large, live audiences,
getting a great response opening for national acts such as
Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Catherine Britt, Mark Chesnutt,
Tammy Cochran, Diamond Rio, Emerson Drive, Andy Griggs, Sammy
Kershaw, Ronnie Milsap, Dan Seals and Clay Walker. When Rachel
and her band opened for Wynonna, the audience was out of their
seats and going wild. After just one set, a lot of Wynonna
fans were Rachel Williams fans, too.
The folks lining up for Rachel Williams autographs and T-shirts
after that concert were the icing on the cake for Rachel,
who had finally met her musical idol, Wynonna Judd. It was
Wynonna and Naomi Judd who first hooked Rachel on country
music. When she was just two years old, Rachel's grandfather
took her to a Judds concert and for years she wouldn't go
to sleep unless there was country music playing.
Let's all be grateful that Rachel went to that early concert
so that now we can enjoy her dynamic arrival on the country
music scene. Whether you catch her singing her own songs at
a songwriter's night in a Nashville club or playing her whole
range of knockout material at a major concert event anywhere,
don't miss out. Once you hear Rachel Williams, you'll be a
fan, too!
 Want
to know more about Rachel? Ask Rachel...
Q. People are really sitting up and taking notice of you.
They're asking, "Where did Rachel Williams come from?"
A. I come from a small town just outside Detroit, which gives
me a certain perspective on music. We're already famous for
Motown--I'm ready to put us on the map for country!
Q. You totally sell the song "Rebel Bride" [second
track on the CD]. What does a girl from Michigan know about
being a "rebel bride"?
A. I'm half hillbilly! I've still got family in small-town
Tennessee. You know that line in the song about "chocolate
gravy"? Well, my granny used to make it for us every
Sunday, with biscuits. Trust me, you've got to try it if you
haven't already!
Q. So, the songs on the CD really do tell us about Rachel
Williams?
A. Oh, definitely! I knew the direction I wanted to take this
album and I was able to choose songs that fit me as an artist
and as a person. When people hear these songs on the radio,
they're going to know that it's Rachel Williams they're listening
to. I'm singing songs that say what I want to say, the way
I want to say it. In fact, lately, I've been writing more
and more of that kind of song myself.
Q. What do you want to say and how do you want to say it?
A. If I had a musical motto, it would be "No Fluff."
I like real songs about real emotion, like "As Far As
You Know" [fifth track on the CD]. I bet everyone has
felt what that song says at least once--wanting to smash things
to bits after a breakup. When I sing a song like that I am
totally out there. On the other hand, I can be close to tears
myself on one of those heart-breaking ballads. Whatever the
song, one of my own or another writer's, I live it.
Q. Your audiences sure appreciate it. They're tremendously
enthusiastic. People hearing you for the first time are instant
fans. Why do you think that is?
A. I think country music is ready for a change, ready for
someone who is totally herself and not trying to conform to
an image just to win over a certain audience. I believe even
people who thought they didn't like country like what they
hear from me. I'd love to have that younger audience listening
to country like I did.
Q. If you could talk personally to each one of your fans,
what would you say?
A. Be confident. If you second-guess yourself, the rest of
the world will second-guess you, too. Don't do anything half-way--have
the conviction and heart to go after what you want. Listen
to your inner voice. You won't be disappointed.
Not convinced Rachel should be your artist at your next
event?
Listen to Rachel
So Good For So Long
As Far As You Know
Welcome To Love
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