Everlast
Eat At Whitey’s
Tommy Boy
We’ve all heard it by now – Everlast leaves House of Pain, nearly dies of a heart attack, and makes a comeback album, Whitey Ford Sings the Blues, that amazingly resuscitates his career, earning critical acclaim and heady comparisons to Beck. Deserved? Perhaps, but perhaps it’s a bit of an exaggeration. Quickly following Whitey Ford with what looks like an obvious sequel, Eat At Whitey’s shows that he’s not quite the musical master that Beck is, but he is a solid jack-of-all-trades that’s more than capable of hitting one out of the park from time to time. Take the first single, “Black Jesus,” for instance. Like Whitey Ford’s breakthrough hit, “What It’s Like,” “Black Jesus” features a gritty, bluesy vocal performance, but sets itself apart from its predecessor with a catchy “na na na” chorus, stark acoustic guitar, and solid hip hop beats. It’s a sure-fire home run, and if the whole album were as good, I’d be ready to name Whitey’s the album of the year. Some cuts, like the funky, tense “Deadly Assassins” (which features extremely clever rhymes and a guest rap from Cypress Hill’s B-Real) do come very close, but the majority of the album is made up of good, solid tracks that certainly entertain, but don’t inspire awe. To continue the diner metaphor of the album, when you Eat At Whitey’s, you should expect a hearty, rib-sticking, meat and potatoes meal with some particularly tasty appetizers. Just don’t expect gourmet fare.
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