Search - Chris Whitley :: Weed

Great acoustic versions of Whitley classics

Joseph Defranceschi | madison, wi | 03/31/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Texas-blues ballad writer Chris Whitley once again takes out his National steel guitar and gritty, distinctive voice with very nice results. Weed, released in late 2004 along with War Crime Blues, features acoustic versions of previously release originals from the albums Din of Ecstasy (1995), Terra Incognita (1997), and his brilliant debut, Living with the Law (1991). Born in Texas and raised in New York City, Whitley has been living in Europe for the last few years where he has been able to hone in on his raw, original blues sound. Speaking of raw, Weed was recorded in Whitley's bathroom on a two track minidisc player. (1998's Dirt Floor was recorded in a barn.)



Chris' style of bare-bones, one-take blues has never been more apparent than with Weed. The songs are beautifully written, drawing on everything from love and heartbreak to late parties and a phone call from prison. Simple songs from a deep and complex man make this album unique and highly entertaining, especially when heard in contrast to their blues-band versions from the earlier albums. His poetry is apparent in the track "Narcotic Prayer," "If I found her breathing, how could I adjust?/ Should I see her bleeding, calling me in trust?" Whitley's Weed is a very nice, calm album that showcases his songwriting and introspective voice. Go get this album if you liked Nick Drake's naked swansong, Pink Moon, or the southern blues of Taj Mahal.

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Modern day field recording...

Evan Blewett | North Carolina USA | 02/28/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Chris recorded this on a portable minidisc recorder in his girlfriend bathroom, which gives the recording a very intimate feel. In my opinion the songs from his early catalog benefit from being stripped down to bare essentials. A true musical artist, check him out live if you can."

A good portrait of a great songwriter

John Alapick | Wilkes-Barre, PA United States | 03/29/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Chris Whitley's release Weed is an acoustic collection of most of the best tracks from his first three albums. Recorded to a two-track recorder, the emphasis here, like his releases Dirt Floor and War Crime Blues, are on his great songs and emotional vocals. There are 8 songs here from his critically acclaimed debut Living With The Law and 4 tracks each from Terra Incognita and the criminally neglected Din of Ecstasy. The tracks from Terra Incognita, most notably "Cool Wooden Crosses", "Power Down", and "Clear Blue Sky" are much stronger here as the noisy excess that cluttered the original songs are absent. While the original versions of the songs from Din of Ecstasy benefited from the loud arrangements, the tracks "Know You" and the instrumental version of "Can't Get Off" sound even more haunting in their acoustic versions. Although every track from Living With The Law is top notch, his vocal performances on "Phone Call from Leavenworth", "Dust Radio", "Big Sky Country", and "Living With The Law" are much more subdued here and are not as strong as on the original album. This is a very good representation of Chris Whitley's earlier material. If you like his most acclaimed albums Living With The Law and Dirt Floor, you'll certainly enjoy this."