Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
His best work yet., June 29, 2004
I've been a fan of Everlast since his inclusion in Santana's "Supernatural". I loved his last "Whitey Ford Sings the Blues" and would have been happy with something comparable. This CD is a good deal better. More refined - his trademark acoustic guitar against heavy baseline, his weaving of rap in with Tobacco throated lyrics, even the chorus' are cleaner - you can tell he paid a great deal of attention to this work. I like pretty much every song on the album, but my favorite are the following: Blinded by the Sun Lonely Road White Trash Beautiful and absolute favorite on the album (listened to it like 20 times in a row) is "Sleepin' Alone". I recommend this CD highly. Enjoy. Christian Hunter
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dylan Meets Chuck D, December 27, 2004
"White Trash Beautiful" finds a maturing Everlast settling into a cohesive folk-rap sound that extends throughout the album. His past efforts tended to lean in both directions at once -- one a more straightforward rap sound and the other a unique blend of folk, rap and rock. This time around, we get a batch of heartbreaking tunes that sound like Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" laid over one killer beat after another. Everlast's folk-rap fusion never lets up for a second here, and this sense of focus makes for Everlast's most consistent album to date.
"White Trash Beautiful" also plays like a concept album, beginning with "Blinded By the Sun," a tune about found love, then slips into the wistful "Broken," a gorgeous song in which Everlast begins to speak in the first person voice that pervades the album, confessing his love and fearing that it's on the brink of ruin. While "Broken" is probably the most tasteful composition of Everlast's life, much of the album rises to its standards and even yields some bursts of lyrical precision that match the intensity of the music:
Your clothes are all gone and you aint there
Your makeup drawer is empty
I found an old picture of you shampooing your hair
Now we aint even friendly
This isolation, seclusion and loss overwhelm the album like a thick stench of gasoline.
For all this albums glories, though, I did find myself wondering at times whether Everlast is painting himself into a corner here, whether he may want to explore a new direction next time around. A few bursts of electric guitar or perhaps some percussion or real drums might have enlivened the album's rather understated production. I fear that Everlast may run the risk of confining his creativity to a rigid formula rather than taking the risks of stretching its boundaries a bit more. However, as most rap albums suffer from tacky overpdocution, it is refreshing to hear such restraint from a former House of Pain member, and perhaps the album's difficult content doesn't really allow for any more production than is already here. In any event, "White Trash beautiful" is a miracle of one man's maturity and loss, and no matter where Everlast goes from here, there can be no doubt that his recent trilogy of albums represents one of the most impressive artistic make-overs the rap world has produced.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
White Trash Beautiful music., November 1, 2004
This guy hits the spot with me, with an important kind of musical statement for my generation. The music is a mixture of folk, blues, a little bit of rock and a smattering of rap. The vocal style is perfect for the music; that smokey, raspy, small venue barroom croon. The writing is gut wrenchingly real for a 30's something guy dealing with love, loss, and life in the trenches. I can relate. I am a lover of all kinds of heavy rock, and listening to Everlast once in awhile is simple, pure bliss. This is his finest album to date, and one can only assume he's maturing, and only getting better! It takes a special ear to appreciate this offering.
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