Everlast

Whitey Ford Sings the Blues

A definite favorite of mine; one of the best of 1998

Review Score: StarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStar (10/10)
Erik "Everlast" Schrody, the well-known former frontman of House of Pain, one of the most underrated rap groups of all time, certainly delivers the goods with 'Whitey Ford Sings the Blues'. This album was released late in '98 and, at first, no one, including me, was really sure what to make of it. Who would have thought that a white b-boy rapper could pick up an acoustic guitar and become what could almost be described as an introspective singer/songwriter? Not me, I can tell you. And considering what a fickle industry hip-hop is, I don't think too many people were ready for this. In an industry that nowadays seems dominated by rappers who can talk about little more than ice, jewels, and cars, the real quality and art of this album certainly seems like a breath of fresh air. After House of Pain broke up the year before, Everlast found himself disenchanted with the current state of hip-hop and began searching for inspiration in other places. On his own, for the first time in about six years, he began recording tracks in the studio with his long-time producers Dante Ross and John Gamble. Things didn't really become promising, until Everlast picked up an acoustic guitar and began strumming and picking away and incorporating that into his writing and production skills. Suffering a near-fatal heart attack undoubtedly opened his eyes, and awakened him to what was really important in life, and, as he says in the liner notes, there's no need to explain any further, because it's there in the album.

The best thing about this album is that it has a lot to say. All of it shows lots of quality, time and effort were put into this album. The first single that would emerge was 'What It's Like', and it is undoubtedly one of the strongest cuts on the album, even though it received major radio airplay. A socially-conscious and introspective number, it features a simple acoustic guitar melody that is both haunting and mournful, as Everlast observes topics such as status, wealth and death amidst three seperate stories, each ending on the same simple but effective note - "Then you really might know what it's like to sing the blues." Throughout this album, Everlast shows a great deal of artistic growth from the rugged and abrasive thug that he was in House of Pain. Even on the straight-up rap tracks he shows that he has evolved a great deal as an MC, as they are some of his most focused performances. But, still, the best songs are when he demonstrates his relaxed style crafting introspective mid-tempo numbers. Probably the strongest and most meaningful of these are 'Ends' and 'What It's Like', which follow each other on the album. Both take an outsider's look at unlucky people on the wrong side of the tracks. Yet still there is an aura of guilt and regret in his voice as he somberly sings these songs, almost as though he is singing from his own experience. This becomes even more evident on a song like 'Painkillers' in which he raps about flying into New York early one morning, where, drunk, high, and dehydrated, he groggily walks into the lobby of his hotel building in the middle of a robbery. He boldly trys to step to them, leaving him shot up and paralyzed. It must have been strange and haunting for him to hear in retrospect describing waking up in the hospital days after the fact, confused and unsure what has happened. The beat on this song is moody and has a late-night feel. 'Praise the Lord' is a gently-bouncing track featuring one of his most impressive raps, and some inspirational words about social consciousness and keeping faith in God first in your life. 'Today (Watch Me Shine)' has roughly the same idea behind it, but has a different approach, as he plays slide guitar on it, and sings the lyrics, with Bronx Style Bob providing soulful backing vocals; an inspiring number about never giving up in the world. You can almost see him wiping the tears from his eyes, as the sun beats down on his tired face; its a beautiful thing. The most interesting tracks are when he demonstrates his flexibility and ability to mix his style of hip-hop with other sounds. A good example is 'The Letter' a beautiful lovelorn song that is basically Everlast rapping over a soft and scratchy jazz piano and bassline. At only two minutes, it is brief, but one of the most stand-out tracks, as a sensitive and vulnerable side emerges in his story about losing his one true love and wanting to make things better. He sees her out with her new man looking happy, and it hurts him so much he feels the need to tell her. Yet the best part of the song is the ending when Everlast makes the heart warming observance: "So if that man make you smile, I guess that I'll/Just accept it, and respect it/I'll hit you with this song an' let you think about it/Then I'll just leave you alone and be a man about it."

To conclude my review, I would definitely recommend this album to any rap fan who is open-minded, and is looking for depth and emotion in the hip-hop genre. Everlast is a truly talented and original artist who really spoke from the heart on this album, and that deserves some respect. The production is uniformly excellent, and, rather than using samples like is popular these days, he used real live instruments like keyboards, basses, guitars, and even the occasional horn section. Listen to this album without prejudice. If you are not instantly satisfied, then try listening to it again, because it may grow on you. I've been listening to this album ever since it came out, and it has earned its place as one of my all-time favorites. I have to say, next to Kurupt's double-CD 'Kuruption!', this was the best album of 1998.

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Whitey Ford Sings the Blues

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