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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hands down....best CD from 2004...., June 8, 2004
On the cover of Jim White's latest album is the ghostly image of a man and a woman, faces close together, looking out from the shadows. The image recalls nothing so much as the art of the late Howard Finster, where fleeting yet ever present spirits flow in and out of this realm and another distant place and time, maybe even in and out of heaven itself.
Like fellow southerner Finster, Jim White's art is infused with the presence of God and Jesus, sin and redemption, and in Mr. White's case, also with the beauty and mystery of love. In White's world, love often comes with its cruel traveling companions, heartbreak and deep sorrow.
Several of the songs on "Drill a hole.." have been reworked into their current versions from having been played live in different incarnations over the last few years.
As with his previous two albums, this one can't be neatly pegged into any particular genre, but somehow, the different styles of the songs fit together much like individual pieces of a mosaic, ultimately forming a beautiful picture.
Co-produced by Joe Henry, this CD has a more jazzy overall feel than "The wrong eyed Jesus" and "No such place". "Combing my hair in a brand new style" and "Buzzards of love", both showcase a mindblowing horn section unlike anything on Mr. White's previous CDs, and while neither of these two is a short song by any means, both offer only a glimpse into the extended improvisations which might be possible if the band were unleashed on stage.
The opening track, "Static on the radio", with backing vocals by Aimee Mann, has an easy, laid back feel, is instantly accessible, and should be a hit on the radio if there were any justice in the world. "Bluebird" is a heartwrenchingly melancholic love song in which Mr. White tells of finding salvation in the eyes of his daughter. In "If Jesus drove a motor home" White gives us another installment of his humorous take on the Lord. The song is probably Mr. White's unique interpretation of John Lennon's "Imagine", and showcases the horn section.
"Objects in motion" is one of the songs which has evolved through years of playing it live, and is given the dreamiest treatment of the different moods permeating the album.
Jim White is unquestionably one of the best singer/songwriters/storytellers working today, and this is a must have CD from a one of a kind musician who is just hitting his stride.
Check out jimwhite dot net for more.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great New Album from Americana's Rimbaud, July 19, 2004
Jim White's South in its own dark way spins another yarn of wondrous stories where strung out Santa Clauses and Jesus listening to Dylan and driving a motorhome, are but only part of a lyric universe that owes as much to Country myths as to the ghost of Rimbaud.
Yes, this is another of White's "seasons in hell" more Texas, though, than nineteenth century France but probably as hallucinatory. These are tales of a man who, more than raised in America, has been abducted by it as it was an alien mothership.
For those who loved his first two albums, this one may not necessarily be that different, and what I said so far, not completely farfetched. This is not to say that this album lack musical surprises nor artistic growth, and Joe Henry's production has no small part of such accomplishment. Jim White can be dark all by himself but with Henry's aid gains a smokier, jazzier feel, which fits the songs like a silk glove.
In general, the tunes Joe Henry helmed as producer -which account for half the album- are the most interesting ones. I'd say that this is, in its own way, as inspired a collaboration as Loretta Lynn found with Jack White in Van Lear Rose. Of course, the music is far from similar but the producers' tugging and pushing an artist's certain style into new colors and atmospheres is comparable.
"Static In The Radio" -sung with Aimee Mann- and "Combing My Hair In A Brand New Style" are great examples of the musician-producer connection I've described, and so is "Buzzards of Love" with some powerful horns, somewhat reminiscent of Henry's own "Tiny Voices." And then there are three personal favorites of mine: "Bluebird," "That Girl from Brownsville Texas" and Phone Booth in Heaven" -stunning ballads all ... a weakness of mine- which are tender in their own wounded ways.
As White sings that a friend once told him ... "Jim, what you cling to, that's the thing that you had best forget. For ain't no rose bed ever gonna bloom in an untended field of regrets." Well, Jim White is definitely tending those regrets again and some glorious roses have begun to bloom.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
absolutely brilliant (as usual)...., June 17, 2004
no one (in recent memory) has explored the worlds of Greyhound Bus stations, small-town Southern preachers, passing trains and poetic trailerpark dream-state melodrama better than Jim White. (the usual) biblical references are present as are the ethereally whispered tales of bodies floating down rivers accompanied by misinterpreted radio broadcasts and birds perching quietly on telephone wires. this is a remarkable album from an artist that deserves MUCH more appreciation than he has received. fans of Jim White might note that this record has a bit LESS "hip/trip-hop" presence (in the production) and a displays a "jazzier/lounge" feel than NO SUCH PLACE. this is not a bad thing. it works VERY well for the songs on this recording.
"Static On The Radio", "Bluebird" and "Objects In Motion" are mesmerizingly gorgeous and the entire album is an absolute knock-out. EXCELLENT stuff and HIGHLY recommended. i give it TWO Stuckey's Pecan Logs UP!!!
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