William Elliott Whitmore, with tattooed limbs and a voice that could have come from an exchange with the devil, released his fifth album Animals in the Dark Feb. 17.
Tuesdays are usual for album releases, but when a handful of recognizable artists showcase their new masterpieces, the just-as-talented nobodies get swept under the rug.
Luckily, I was updated on Feb. 17 via Twitter with new album releases from various artists including Whitmore.
After listening to his new album for two minutes I was hooked on his high caliber music and husky voice.
On the album Animals in the Dark, the 30-year-old horse farmer from Keokuk, Iowa strums stringed instruments while singing about problems our country is currently facing. But do not be fooled by the content of his lyrics – this is no political record.
Even while singing about topics of national despair, Whitmore keeps his “cool factor” in balance with his musical style by being on the punk record label Anti-, along with Neko Case, Tom Waits and Nick Cave.
To the naked eye it looks like he would play music that could only be played in dive bars, but with the rockabilly music genre opening its doors for musicians in between folk and rock, Whitmore found his home.
It is rumored Whitmore stepped into the music scene being a roadie for hardcore band Ten Grand, also from Iowa.
If placing a banjo-plucking musician in with a hardcore band is not confusing enough, hearing his voice bellow from between his lips is even more bewildering.
His weathered baritone voice matches that of Delta Blues singers Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson, but his shaggy appearance and style reflect Ray Lamontagne and Chris Robinson from The Black Crowes.
Whitmore manages to regenerate music from past decades on his recent album while adding a pedal steel and an organ to the regular minimal instrumentation from prior albums. The superfluous instruments on the album create a heavier sound than his fans are accustomed to, but his low bellowing voice does not fail to be the primal focus of the music.
The song “Old Devils” mirrors raspy Delta Blues noise and holds a rhythm suiting the event of bad guys getting away in a ’50s gangster movie. In the song, Whitmore manages to amalgamate swaying blues and toe-tapping punk rock with immense ease.
Growing up and working as a horse farmer on the banks of the Mississippi River must have influenced Whitmore to sing blues-infected songs but his experiences and involvement with punk bands add a universality to his music, making his career successful.
With a splatter of instruments on the album, desperation and redemption bleed through in the songs “Diggin’ My Grave” and “There’s Hope For You.” These songs, along with many of his others, have an earthy low synonymous with gospel songs of old Southern churches from way back when.
Other songs on the album featuring banjo playing are more traditional but never let listeners forget they are listening to Whitmore sing.
Although songs from this album could easily ring from wooden shack churches, this is not the music your typical Southern Baptist grandmother would enjoy.
Whitmore frequently drops the f-bomb on this album along with other profanity that might offend more conservative music listeners.
The downfall of Animals in the Dark is its short playing time of less than 40 minutes. The songs should be longer with more instrumental leads but this does not take away from the totality of the album.
After hearing the album, Whitmore’s future in my iPod playlist is very long and promising.