JUICE
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JUICE

Band R&B Singer/Songwriter

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"Juice Anyone"

Juice, anyone?
• Fresh and smooth, R&B singer Juice is poised to rise like cream
Gary Grimes
ALBANY — Water was what he was drinking on a break from his opening set for the Manhattans, but Juice is his name, and he thirsts for rhythm and blues stardom.
"I don't know about him," Alberta Martin of Albany said with a curled-up nose, leaning up against a wall at the State Theater.
Martin paid $25 to see the Manhattans and didn't care for any Juice.
Likewise, much of the crowd seemed subdued. Others were still finding their way to their seats and chatting it up with friends.
But after one drink from the bar and five songs from Juice, Martin had reversed her tone.
"I like the way he shakes it; the way he expresses himself," she said during Juice's water break with a large smile and bounce in her step.
And much of the crowd seemed to agree.
Juice sang his final song, "Kill for You," to a standing ovation.
Born Jason Williams, the Augusta native came to Albany in 1999 on a full football scholarship at Albany State University.
As an outside linebacker, his job was to deliver devastating hits to ball carriers. As a singer, his job is to lay down an entirely different type of hit — one that can be recorded onto a compact disc and replayed like a personal highlight reel.
"I played (football) for about two years and had a couple of knee injuries ... and then we had to try out a new thing," Williams said of his move in 2001 from the field to the stage.
And his "new thing" has already gotten some attention.
On WJIZ 96.3, "Kill for You" from Williams' debut album, "100% Concentration," has been the most requested song for seven weeks running.
R&B disc jockey Jammin' Jay, host on 96.3 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., said he thinks Williams' "Kill for You" is such a success because of the "passion" and "sincerity" of it.
"That's what R&B music is all about," Jay said.
"Just today, I got an e-mail from a record company (official, Steve Tramposch of Elektra Entertainment) trying to find out more about him (Williams)," the DJ said on May 10.
Tramposch is the director of artists and repertoire at Elektra, and just getting an album on his desk is considered quite an accomplishment.
He said from his office in New York that he hadn't yet heard the record, but was told that it was definitely something he should check out.
For now, though, Williams is one of the top performers for Albany's Lightsout Entertainment.
He has no recording contract as of yet.
But it might not be long before the Ruby Tuesday waiter trades in his apron for a designer suit and fat contract.
"I've sold about 2,000 (records)," said Williams, 23. "About 1,000 in Albany and about 1,000 in surrounding areas."
Williams constantly tours the South, playing theaters, bars and clubs from Birmingham, Ala., to Tallahassee, Fla.
He and his band G&S, which stands for Grown and Sexy, he said, has opened for big acts like comedian Rickey Smiley and now the Manhattans.
"We're opening for the Manhattans, man," Williams said with disbelief. "That's a dream come true."
Williams said his parents were a big influence on him musically with their eclectic taste.
"Back in the day, man, my mom and dad had records of everything," he said.
"But most of my upbringing was on stuff like Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Jimi Hendrix, Isaac Hayes, Aretha Franklin, Bill Withers, even Led Zeppelin.
"How many young blacks do you know that listened to Led Zeppelin?" Williams asked rhetorically.
Perhaps that's why Juice is climbing the music ladder, influenced by so many different types of music and styles that he's able to create his own
- Albany Herald


Discography

100% Concentratrion - 2005
Juicy Collabos - 2007

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Bio

A native of Augusta , Georgia , "Juice" also known as Jason Williams found a love for music at the age of four. Hearing his grandfather at the piano singing and listening to his parent's records as they belted out hits from some of the greatest artists in the world like Sam Cooke, Isaac Hayes, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, and Led Zeppelin, Jason knew that music was going to be his way of life. While in high school, Jason became a member of the All State Choir, where he traveled to Chicago , Virginia Beach, and Carnegie Hall, exposing himself to a myriad of musical styles that he quickly embraced. Anyone that hears Jason sing will quickly be caught up by his versatile style. From R&B, to Soul, to Rock, his voice eases into a repertoire that is not easily forgotten. This multitalented vocalist's mission is to change the face of music and the way that his audience listens to and views all musical art forms.