“I’m a Soldier of Love!” proclaims Mike Williams. “I Dig You” and “We Are One.” The man has a message and a distinct way of getting it across. His debut, “Leaving Dystopia” (Labor of Love Music) has been RoKKin’ my set since it arrived a couple days ago. Spinning this disc the first time, I found myself transported to another time or dimension or something… A time and place when people unabashedly spoke their minds  in an effort to bring about peace and harmony. Every word he sings has an impact.

So many people are standing still – Drifting away they lost their will I just want to shake them and give them ears – Wake up – stop living in fear” He beckons in “Beautiful Soul”

I can be Jesus, I can be Buddha – I can be Krishna, I can be anybody I want to be… I can be a prophet, I can be a seer – I can be a church, never live in fear I can be privileged, I can be a king – I can be royalty, I can grow wings” leads into the rallying cry of “Soldier of Love”

Mike delivers his spiritual message of oneness in 10 righteously RoKKin’ tracks that pay homage to sounds and styles that come from that magical time a space in music we spoke of earlier. He pays homage to bands like Beck with late eighties drum sounds and there’s a taste of that early Lenny Kravitz in “Soldier of Love.”

What really struck me about Mike’s stuff was that he channels (I don’t think there is any other word for it) the late John Lennon. It’s eerie. I’ve never heard anything quite like it. It’s there through the whole disc – not just in his fabulous rendition of “Working Class Hero,” and honestly, I don’t think it’s something he tries to do – it just comes naturally.

He also employs timeless modal structures that bring on a Moody Blues feel and some straight up blues. And watch that bluesy stuff, ’cause the cat plays some mean guitar! He treats each tune nicely with good arrangements and instrumentation, but no really, guys when hes lets that six-string sing, I’m tellin’ ya… watch out!

I’ve been chatting with Williams about his record and will be looking forward to having him on an episode of Mid Tenn Listens, really soon!

In the mean-time, grab yourself a copy of “Leaving Dystopia” on Google Play or Amazon and you can learn a lot about Mike from his website.