Manorisms/Which One's Willie? in Bloomington, MN

This 2013
BGO
two-fer combines 1977's
Manorisms
and the following year's
Which One's Willie?
, the two records
Wet Willie
released on
Epic
after a prolonged stint at
Capricorn
. The shift in labels was accompanied by a shift in sound, with the group largely abandoning its signature Southern rock in favor of a super-slick mainstream pop/rock sound, one that found space for arena-rock workouts, power ballads, funky vamps, and a fair share of yacht rock, where soft sounds took precedence over full-tilt boogie. Whether or not this is a good thing depends entirely on taste: longtime
Willie
fans will certainly miss the rock but those who never cared for the band -- or never bothered to investigate them due to their name -- will be surprised at just how enjoyably slick and thoroughly dated this AOR rock and pop is. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine