Covers of Poison, Cinderella, Judas Priest and others are reconstructed
Alex Williams releases his new album Space Brain via Lightning Rod Records. Inspired by his longtime love for ’80s metal, the album finds Williams reinterpreting hits from Guns N’ Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, Cinderella, Motörhead, and more as a collection of backwoods ballads, campfire sing-alongs and roadhouse roots-rockers.
Produced by Grammy-winning producer and longtime collaborator Ben Fowler (Charley Crockett, Lynyrd Skynyrd) in Nashville, Space Brain doesn’t push Williams away from his country pedigree, but instead expands his interpretation of that sound altogether. Backed by modern-day guitar heroes like Rob McNelley (Bob Seger, Wynonna Judd), Dan Dugmore (Linda Ronstadt, ZZ Top) and Mike Payne (Luke Bryan), Williams masterfully reconstructed each song, aiming to emphasize storytelling over sheer sonic power. Highlights include his Southern rock-infused takes on Cinderella’s “Nobody’s Fool” featuring Tom Keifer, Judas Priest’s “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming,” and Ratt’s “Round and Round.”
The result is a daring, genre-blurring record that showcases Williams as a vocalist with arena-sized swagger and a formidable interpreter. While country music has a long history of honoring its pioneers through countless artists within the genre, Space Brain is something different; this album tips its hat to a different musical influence, proving that Williams isn’t just walking the line, he’s rewriting it.
Space Brain also features Williams’ and Cody Jinks’ previously released gritty take on Ozzy Osbourne’s “Flying High Again.” The album follows his 2022 LP Waging Peace.
Williams is currently on the road with a hometown show in Indianapolis tonight (Fri, July 18th) at Turntable, followed by stops in Nashville, Kansas City and more.
1. Flying High Again featuring Cody Jinks [Ozzy Osbourne]
2. Night Train [Guns N’ Roses]
3. Ace of Spades [Motörhead]
4. Nobody’s Fool featuring Tom Keifer [Cinderella]
5. Round and Round [Ratt]
6. Look What The Cat Dragged In [Poison]
7. Wild Side [Mötley Crüe]
8. Youth Gone Wild [Skid Row]
9. You’ve Got Another Thing Coming [Judas Priest]
10. Gettin’ Better [Tesla]
