Formerly an acoustic duo, Doug and Telisha Williams plug in for these 12 country tunes, cut in three days with Ray Kennedy. The producer has worked with Lucinda Williams and Steve Earle, and like those artists, Wild Ponies swing emotional wrecking balls with great delicacy, sometimes waiting until the third verse to deliver devastating revelations about their characters—and themselves. On “Trigger,” Telisha doesn’t say until the end why she pulled the gun that’s left her hubby dead, and on “Truth Is,” she saves until the final line a reference to her painful childhood. “Everything I own is just a little bit broken,” they sing on a brisker cut, romping with heavy hearts that won’t weigh them down.
Read MoreMichael Bialas - Huffington Post/No Depression - November 29, 2013
Wild Ponies Just Might Be Americana's New Dark Horses
...Comparisons to Lucinda are inevitable, along with rough-and-tumble daring duos such as Shovels & Rope and honeyhoney, and Americana’s current power couple, recent newlyweds Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires. All of them know how to capably cover shaky ground, but exploring deep, dark places seems to come naturally for Wild Ponies. ...
Read MoreSometimes, the best songs come from the worst places. Just ask Wild Ponies, whose debut album shines a line on the skeletons that’ve haunted frontwoman Telisha Williams’ closet for years.
“A lot of this album came from dealing with the recognition of abuse in my past,” she says. “I had to figure out how to let go of the trauma I’d lugged around for years. I finally got some real therapy, and — hopefully — some good songs out of it.”
Read MoreYou could always tell that Telisha Williams woman was trouble. Sure, she comes off all sweet with that sunshine smile. When she and hubby, Doug, walked the boards as a duo there were clues. Maybe it is the anonymity of the band but Telisha has come out of her lace and leather closet and taken on the role of the seductress for the husband and wife teams new incarnation as Wild Ponies. There is no hesitation on Things That Used to Shine. Track number one and Telisha has her dominatrix drag on for “Make You Mine”. The tune sets the stage but all you can hear is Telisha’s siren call pulling you in, and down, down, down.
Read MoreIt only takes 15 seconds to kill the bad guy in Wild Ponies’ first-ever music video, “Trigger.” And good riddance to him. The Nashville trio is taking aim at domestic abuse on their brand new album, Things That Used to Shine.
Read MoreMakes you want to fall off the wagon, take up smoking again, let your girlfriend’s cat out on purpose, while at the same time feel a precise awareness of some long lost forgotten beat of your heart. A tour de force
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