Customer Reviews

Transnormal Skiperoo

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

A while back, Jim White opened for Ollabelle, his backing band on several tracks on "Skiperoo". After the show, I commented to him that "A town called Amen", the opening track, sounded like Jim White channeling John Prine. Jokingly or not, White said "that's exactly what I was doing on that song". For my money, Jim White does John Prine better than Prine himself.

"Skiperoo" is a new chapter in Jim White's quirky adventures from the south. By his own description, it's a happier chronicle of the goings on in his world than previous albums, but fear not, there's plenty of dark, mysterious and mystical stuff lurking around every corner, just like on his past records.

As you listen to "Skiperoo", you'll soon get the feeling that White has made peace with some of the demons that have haunted him in the past, although on "Jailbird", the first of several gorgeous, contemplative songs, he reflects on the difficulties of leaving one's past behind, a theme that has often emerged on his previous records. As a lonely harmonica trails off at the end, you can just picture the player sitting on a front porch in the Appalachians. The end of the song is so similar to the end of "Sleepy town" from White's debut album "Wrong Eyed Jesus" that you might find yourself listening for that lonesome dog barking in the neighbor's yard down that dirt road, but it's not there this time.

White has a great sense of humor too, and isn't afraid of changing the mood on his albums. The first offbeat, not to mention infectiously addictive party song, is "Crash into the sun". Some say the lyrics are subtly political, but with its trumpets, handclaps, and "woo-hoo" chorus, it sure is a lot of fun, and guaranteed to stick to the neurons in the back of your brain.

Things can get dark and spooky "out in the junkyard of the pines of the south". "Fruit of the vine" makes you feel like you're in White's BBC documentary "Searching for the Wrong Eyed Jesus". Sit back and enjoy some great slide guitar and White working his magic on his unique electric banjocaster on this one.

White likes to "road test" his songs, often for years, before they show up on a record. He's done a dizzying series of arrangements of "Take me away" live over the years. You can be sure when you see him live, that the song will have changed once again. Like Dylan, White treats his songs as living, changing creations, rather than trying to replicate the studio versions as so many musicians do.

The album cover has a turquoise house on it. "Turquoise house" the song, is White's goofball ode to all the alternative lifestyles that some of the morally self righteous characters in the current US government are so deathly afraid of. Listen for the great Fleetwood Mac mandolin quote on this song too.

There has always been a distinct cinematic quality to just about all of White's music, probably not coincidentally because of the fact he's a film graduate of New York University. "Diamonds to coal" is a great example of that. Lyrically, it's also a great metaphor for not ruining a good thing.

Someone sent me a list from the internet where White's own "Christmas Day (1998)" was listed as the third saddest song ever recorded (In case you're wondering, "Lonesome whipporwill made the No. 1 spot). Well, folks, if "Christmas Day" was sad, "Plywood Superman" is even sadder, but more on an internal, instead of shattered love level.

Some of the greatest musicians often comment they don't know the meaning of their own songs until years later. I've also heard musicians say they've found new meanings in their songs after hearing a listener's interpretation of a song. "Pictures of heaven", according to White, is dedicated to his daughters. Before I read his description of the meaning of the song, the words made me think of a good friend of mine and his young sons, who recently lost his wife and their mother to cancer.

"Skiperoo" is the best record Jim White has made yet. And that's saying a lot.

Be sure to visit jimwhite dot net for more.

Please see US version of CD. This was a review of the import edition.

I take the title from an old Percy Sledge song, take time to know her. You cannot appreciate Jim White with just one listen. There are more layers to his music than anyone I can remember, I listen to his music a lot and I always hear something new, a sound, a word, an absurdity or just a different way of seeing the same thing. I first saw Jim White at a concert opening for Lucinda Williams,in Milwaukee, WI, I talked with him a moment and bought a couple of his CDs, which he signed. His music dosen't have a one song hook it is the entire work thats the hook. Again take time to know him.

This is yet another wonderful CD from Jim. I love all of the songs with Plywood Superman being my favorite. Like all of Jim's songs, this CD takes you to another world through dark hopelessness and than back to the light. As a matter of fact, I think Jim actually wrote a happy song on this CD call Diamonds to Coal. The music and lyrics are top notch and the understated production of this CD vs the Drill a Hole in that Substrate brings this CD back to the roots of Jim earlier Wrong Eye'd Jesus songs.

Keep up the great work Jim, it was great seeing you in Santa Cruz and give us a new CD soon!

I didn't think Jim could blow me away, once again...but he has. I keep all of his music at my fingertips but I've barely been able to listen to anything else but this since I got it. "Crash into the sun" is an incredible political statement and fabulous party song. "Turquoise House" is also delightful and all of his music speaks to my heart and soul, especially some of his darker songs. THANKS JIM !

This latest release from Jim White demonstrates his continued ability produce lyrics that analyze and capture the darker portions of life in song. He is one of very few artists who have demonstrated a consistent expertise in successfully celebrating such moments without cheapening them with catch phrases or dehumanizing the concerned experiences.

Listeners who found Jim's music as of his release of Drill a Hole in That Substrate and Tell Me What You See or No Such Place, and have not had the opportunity to listen to his earlier work, such as WRONG EYED JESUS should know that the sound of the music is radically different. The majority of TRANSNORMAL SKIPERDOO's musical landscape is simpler, more direct, and much more in tune with the South-Eastern, USA roots of Jim's earlier music (or, as Jim wrote, his "broken short wave radio songs"). This is an amazing disc, but don't expect musical repetition (don't ever expect any kind of repetitive regurgitation of last year's successes) from Jim White.

"Skiperoo" is the best record Jim White has made yet. And that's saying a lot. I agree 100%...Best of 2007.