Love War and The Ghost of Whitey Ford - Everlast

Awhile back we brought you Everlast's "White Trash Beautiful" which, though not your standard Everlast rock/rap/blues hybrid was enjoyable, with that I figured sense i got my hands on this advance copy of his next album "Love, War and the ghost of Whitey Ford", and though to newer fans this might not be the best album to start out with, to fans of Everlast and that unique sound that he's been creating ever sense his groundbreaking "Whitey Ford Sings The Blues", this will be more of the same, but not in a boring tired way, Everlast always seems to bring something new to that blues rock folk hop sound he's created, which i think is great, after all, if you create a genre, you should be the one that defines it and is at the front of it. Least thats what I think anyway, I'm odd like that.

The album starts off with "Kill The Emperior" which is kind of a backhanded political protest song, which I must admit, is shaky for the first minute and a half or so, then settles into an awesome flow once Everlast starts to rap, its not a bad lead off track, though that beginning might turn off newer listeners who might switch to the next track at that point. Next is a cover of the blues/folk classic "Folsom Prison Blues", Everlast completely reworks the song and brings it into his personal style very well, he even manages to make it upbeat and enjoyable with the fun rhythmic guitars and returning to that whistle that Everlast used in his days with House of Pain on their song "Jump Around", he's done rather well with this song, I might have rathered it be the lead off track honestly. Next is "In My Hand", which starts with a Ravi Shankar style sitar bit that crashes right into some upbeat electric guitars, then a nice awesome driving bass beat to bring him through another protest style track, not many people can make you wanna turn up a protest song, let alone make it sound funky, as normal Everlast makes it all work, rather impressive. Next is "Anyone", this is the first uncomfortably raw slow sad love songs on this album, one of Everlast's signatures is that he can make these blues/folk rock style love songs that are so depressing but also beautiful in their depression, this is no exception as he expresses the depths that he will go to for the love of his woman, great track this one is. Next is "Die In Your Arms", which brings the tempo up to one of those fast paced 1980s style rock songs about a woman, this is the kind of thing you crank up at a cook out and groove to with some sweet thang who looks hot enough to melt tarmac in the deep south in the middle of the summer, this track best be a single, its THAT good, seriously. Next is "Friend", a nice upbeat love track in the vain of "Babylon Feeling" off the "eat at whitey's" album, this is another that would make a great single actually, probably good enough to put Ev back in the spotlight for awhile. This is followed hy "Everyone", which is a sexy sort of electric blues song trying to make up for cheating on his girlfriend that I find myself listening to over and over, its got this sort of sexy john lee hooker style feel to it. Next song is "Naked", which starts off with a nice bossanova style beginning and leads into a nice electric blues rock rap track, which is again a protest song aimed at George W. Bush. Next song is "Stay", another mellow beautiful love song, it sounds kind of like a song by the legendary (but forgotten) harry chapin, I rather enjoyed this one.

The rest of the album from there is pretty much more of the same, all enjoyable to their own and worth a listen. I found myself really enjoying this disc as a whole, it didn't feel like it was lacking anything or just missing its mark, you can really feel the time it took to work on the disk, which most people would enjoy, even if you weren't a fan of Everlast's before. Give it a Listen, won't be let down.


Here he is doing the theme to the rather good tv series "Saving Grace", saddly this beautiful track isn't on the new album, something about contracts and whatnot.. so enjoy it anyway...




Artist: Everlast
Homepage: http://www.martyr-inc.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/theofficialeverlast
Album: Love, War and The Ghost Of Whitey Ford
Genre: Rap/Rock/Blues/folk/Fusion
Download: Here



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Just A Simple Poet