Customer Reviews

Weed

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

 

 

Texas-blues ballad writer Chris Whitley once again takes out his National steel guitar and gritty, distinctive voice with very nice results. Weed, released in late 2004 along with War Crime Blues, features acoustic versions of previously release originals from the albums Din of Ecstasy (1995), Terra Incognita (1997), and his brilliant debut, Living with the Law (1991). Born in Texas and raised in New York City, Whitley has been living in Europe for the last few years where he has been able to hone in on his raw, original blues sound. Speaking of raw, Weed was recorded in Whitley's bathroom on a two track minidisc player. (1998's Dirt Floor was recorded in a barn.)

Chris' style of bare-bones, one-take blues has never been more apparent than with Weed. The songs are beautifully written, drawing on everything from love and heartbreak to late parties and a phone call from prison. Simple songs from a deep and complex man make this album unique and highly entertaining, especially when heard in contrast to their blues-band versions from the earlier albums. His poetry is apparent in the track "Narcotic Prayer," "If I found her breathing, how could I adjust?/ Should I see her bleeding, calling me in trust?" Whitley's Weed is a very nice, calm album that showcases his songwriting and introspective voice. Go get this album if you liked Nick Drake's naked swansong, Pink Moon, or the southern blues of Taj Mahal.

Chris recorded this on a portable minidisc recorder in his girlfriend bathroom, which gives the recording a very intimate feel. In my opinion the songs from his early catalog benefit from being stripped down to bare essentials. A true musical artist, check him out live if you can.

"Weed" was the first of two internet-only & live show releases that Whitley put out in 2004. These are most likely songs you know. I believe they have all been featured on some of C.W.'s former releases. They were all written between 1986-1996 and were recorded in Dresden @ his girlfriend's house on a two-track MD. 16 total tracks of Whitley favorites re-recorded acoustically. It gives each song a different feel & shows just how good the original compositions were. Bathroom-acoustic blues, baby!

These raw versions of Chris' songs show you point blank just how deep his artistry was. Recorded in a bathroom I guess, they sometimes suffer rough-edged recording flaws, but his brilliance shines right through.

Maybe it shines even brighter because of it.

I am deeply moved by the power and raw instinct of everything he plays and sings here. His voice and guitar are revealed and laid before you like they should be heard. I can't believe he's gone. We are all the less for it. Pick this CD up and hear why.

Chris Whitley's release Weed is an acoustic collection of most of the best tracks from his first three albums. Recorded to a two-track recorder, the emphasis here, like his releases Dirt Floor and War Crime Blues, are on his great songs and emotional vocals. There are 8 songs here from his critically acclaimed debut Living With The Law and 4 tracks each from Terra Incognita and the criminally neglected Din of Ecstasy. The tracks from Terra Incognita, most notably "Cool Wooden Crosses", "Power Down", and "Clear Blue Sky" are much stronger here as the noisy excess that cluttered the original songs are absent. While the original versions of the songs from Din of Ecstasy benefited from the loud arrangements, the tracks "Know You" and the instrumental version of "Can't Get Off" sound even more haunting in their acoustic versions. Although every track from Living With The Law is top notch, his vocal performances on "Phone Call from Leavenworth", "Dust Radio", "Big Sky Country", and "Living With The Law" are much more subdued here and are not as strong as on the original album. This is a very good representation of Chris Whitley's earlier material. If you like his most acclaimed albums Living With The Law and Dirt Floor, you'll certainly enjoy this.

So Sweet! Chris Whitley's first three albums stand next to Uncle Tupelo's albums as the best music made during the 1990's (not opinion, just fact). Released in 2003, "Weed" is composed of newly recorded, acoustic versions of a number of the songs from these albums. The version of "Power Down", leading off the album, is itself worth the price of the whole disc. He does a chilling version of "Phone Call from Leavenworth" on his National Steel guitar that lets you feel the prison walls closing in. "Narcotic Prayer" seems to float over the room - matching the lyrics with a light touch that contrasts to the electric version on his 3rd album, "Din of Ecstasy".

All in all, this was an unexpected treat. In spite of the love I have for Whitley's first three albums, his later efforts have not been as personally satisfying for me (although I bought them all just to thank him for the first three). But for a lover of acoustic music (blues and otherwise), the versions of his songs on "Weed" lay bare his melodies and lyrics for the listener in a way much more intimate than the originals. His light is one (like Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix, SRV before him) that was snuffed out way too soon.

Save your money - don't bother with this one. It's pure tripe from beginning to end. Awful, just awful. Couldn't listen to a whole cut all the way through.