Iowan horse farmer William Elliott Whitmore's fifth outing is an insipid collection of outlaw country (Johnny Law), downbeat porch-songs (Hell Or High Water) and overwrought lullabies (There's Hope For You). With his growling delivery and vagabond narratives ("I miss my home and family/The hills and the road"), comparisons with Seasick Steve are inevitable and for the most part, justified. But where Seasick peppers his tracks with anecdotal humour, the thirty-year-old Whitmore is morose and lacklustre. What ensues is an unconvincing, clumsy album that's enjoyable in all-too-brief glimpses, such as Who Stole The Soul, but spends the rest of the time wallowing in a melancholic stupor.
2/5
Essential Track: Who Stole The Soul
Release Date: February 16
Written for Q Magazine
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