POP MUSIC REVIEW : Don Williams Sticks to Basics at Celebrity Theatre

Don Williams has built a career singing nice, quiet ballads that celebrate love and a simpler way of life that perhaps has been lost in recent years. Judging by the fervent response of the less-than-capacity crowd at the Celebrity Theatre in Anaheim on Thursday, Williams isn’t alone in his outlook.

From the time he took the stage and sang “ ‘Neath the Shelter of Your Eyes,” Williams kept the hits coming, wisely alternating between ballads and his more up-tempo selections (although in the soft-spoken musician’s case, up-tempo is more often mid-tempo).

Two songs into the 65-minute set, he addressed the crowd with a modest, “Hey, there. Everybody doin’ all right?” He paused for a moment, then added, “Well, that’s about all I’ve got to say.”

If Williams isn’t the most chatty entertainer in country music, he knows his strong points: a warm, friendly baritone and a battery of some of country music’s finest songs. Wisely, Williams relies on both.

And though he has a reputation as a fairly laid-back and unassuming performer, Williams and a crackerjack band turned up the power on “Tulsa Time,” the Williams song that Eric Clapton scored a major hit with.

With synthesizer-generated horns and the audience clapping on the downbeat, Williams’ voice actually took on some growly, gutsy undertones that gave this song an edge missing from much of his material.

From appearances, Williams is a simple man espousing basic values such as monogamy and a stripped-down life style in songs such as “Heartbeat in the Darkness” and the early classic “Amanda.”

But it was on the likes of “Let It Rain” that Williams shined, buoyed on the pillow of background vocals by guitarist Garth Fundis and bass player David Pomeroy. The depth and richness of Williams’ baritone was heightened by the soft, feathery, contrasting voices.

There’s a lot that could be said about Williams’ show--or lack of it. The only time he got off the stool he was sitting on was to remove his jacket, which is far from the antics on stage of many of country’s newer artists.

All that seems insignificant when taking into consideration the crowd’s obvious delight in his performance. Any performer who can go on stage and consistently touch people, song after song, has to be doing something right. On that count, Williams all but walked on water.