Reviewing: Animals in the Dark by William Elliott WhitmoreMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
William Elliott Whitmore is a recent, accidental discovery for me. This remarkable 30 year-old singer-songwriter comes from a horse farm in a small Iowa town along the banks of the Mississippi River, and has often been referred to as the "Hillbilly Ray Charles". His music, accompanied by the most basic of instruments and his incredible voice, are simple melodies with well-written stories on a par with Johnny Cash or Neil Young. Whitmore's primary influences (The Louvin Brothers, Minor Threat, Ralph Stanley, and Captain Beefheart) are illuminating in that they show his heartland and blues roots as well as a hard edge, and his albums reflect this.
Animals in the Dark, his latest album, is a departure from his previous albums in that he moves away from telling tales of life, loss, and the heartland. This album looks at the greater United States and its government, but does not become a political record. Instead, it uses emotion and metaphor to paint a stark picture of the state of the country and its people at a grassroots level.
From the first track ("Mutiny") to the closing track ("A Good Day to Die"), this album intersperses stories of bleakness with moments of hope and encouragement. The hauntingly beautiful second track ("Who Stole The Soul") mourns the loss of the country's soul and feelings of patriotism, perhaps like the shame many Americans said they felt in their country in the past few years. A few tracks later, we have the track "There's Hope for You" which preaches a message of hope and responsibility. This mixture of highs and lows creates an impression that, although the country has been through trials and hardship, the people will persevere and become stronger for it.
Whitmore's gravelly voice and style of singing could easily be transplanted into Depression-era American folk music (like that found in the soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou?) and his early albums represent this. Animals in the Dark grows from his earlier style, taking a full band arrangement for the first time and evolving into an impressive, refined sound, but does not lose any of the heart and soul that is a part of Whitmore. The result is an album which shows an artist maturing into something quite special. I for one will be tracking down his back-catalogue and looking out for future releases.
