Here Comes Inspiration is one of
Williams' better albums. It revisits all of his strongest artistic points, and includes dreamy, whimsical high points like "Rainy Days and Mondays," "Driftwood," and "You and Me Against the World." His voice is certainly still a weak, bleating non-instrument, but here it's never dishonest or insincere. As usual, he's supported by the finest session musicians money can buy and an orchestra whose subtle arrangements never overpower the songs. Most of the material is written by
Williams alone (with occasional co-writes from producer
Ken Asher). Listeners may prefer the more professional performances of
the Carpenters and
Helen Reddy, who've recorded a number of the titles (
Reddy recorded no less than four of them), but there's a more raw, affecting quality to these original renditions. ~ Charles Donovan