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This is one CD I can't live without. If you listen to what he is really saying, it is pretty deep. Whitey can make me have goosebumps--the things he says. As a woman especially, I feel he can be sensitive and raw, and tells how men can really feel about women, life, and the world in general. I love this album. I have had this album for years and the CD has just recently worn out and now I'm buying a new one. He is so diverse and unique. Two thumbs way up.
I really like the opener alot, and "Black Jesus" was the hit from this, though not what I would call the best song. I just recently got "Eat At Whitey's", and am glad I did. "I Can't Move" is a nice mid-paced track, and you gotta love "Deadly Assassins" with B-Real from Cypress Hill. It's actually the third solo disc of his, and second since House Of Pain. Fans of his "Whitey Ford Sings The Blues" album should like this as well, as it's another good mix of guitars and rhymes. The "Dinner" side of this album is equally good, my favorite songs being "One And The Same", "One Two", and "Graves To Dig". Overall I hesitate to say this is as good as "Whitey Ford", but I will definitely be eating at Whitey's again.
He is at his best playing a mellow blues riff and kind of half singing half rapping his verses. The rest of the album goes back and forth between guitar based tracks and more traditional rap tracks.
Everlast started out in House of Pain back in the day and then when they dropped off the face of the earth Everlast came with a blues/rock album that received a fair amount of praise. How do you begin this review.
He opens with "Whitey" an interesting intro that you could totally see Bubba Sparxxx tear apart, but in all fairness this is the only time that Everlast sounds good over a beat on the album. Then there was this, his sophomore effort.
While not a bad album it does not always flow that smoothly. His style of rapping over rock beats has been done before but he sounds better than most.
This album is by no means bad and actually it is pretty good but he should have ditched the rapping altogether, even if Kurupt sounds damn good on their duet "One, Two (12)."
Dont get me wrong, the songs are mostly top quality, but some of them i felt were mediocre at best such as "put your lights on", "mercy on my soul", "love for real" and "children's story" (which i never liked anyway). After hearing his near perfect creation that is "whitey ford sings the blues" i was dying for more. Let me start off by saying im a HUGE EVERLAST fan so this album disapointed me.just a little. BUT the thing is, when he gets it right, EVERLAST gets it really right. What i loved about ".sings the blues" was that it had an even balance of rap tracks and str8 up guitar songs. Unfortunately this time its more than 80% guitar and only 20% rap. The best on the album are "whitey", "i cant move", "black coffee", "babylon feeling" and "one,two". The others i didnt mention are solid efforts but not standouts.
"Children's Story", a cover song, is impressive. Ever since I heard "Black Jesus" on the radio I was hooked. Everlast left only a small amount of hip-hop in his music, and added a lot of R'N'B, acoustic guitar rock, a touch of soul music, and even a string quartet. "Love for Real" has this specific bluesy feel, and "One, Two" is a mellow rapping flow. But he is an excellent songwriter, sincere lyricist and emotional performer. The resulting innovative blend appeared to be top-quality music that is suitable for serious listening and appealing to fans of different genres.
Carlos Santana's desire to work with Everlast is a quality approval mark, and the result is very good.If your interests in music are broad, and you are not a "rap-fan-till-I-die", then I can't see how you won't like this record. I can hardly name another band that plays this style of music. Actually, I like the entire album, and I'm particularly impressed with the integration of cello and violin in a music like this. We can say that Everlast addressed the R'N'B roots of hip-hop, but it also sounds very modern.The diversity of styles presented here is impressive. "Deadly Assassins" is the closest thing to House of Pain times, while "Black Coffee" is almost a ballad. Everlast is not the best singer, and neither he is a skillful guitar-player.
This is one of my best purchases of recent years.
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