Everlast - Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford Print
New Albums - Electronica & Hip Hop Albums
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Former frontman of House of Pain, Everlast (Erik Schrody), has had a mixed-bag of success commercially since going solo.  Of course commercial success is no real indication of talent.

However it is fair to say Everlast peaked with 1998’s ‘Whitey Ford Sings the Blues’, and particularly the track ‘What it’s Like’, but failed to inspire much interest in his fourth solo album ‘White Trash Beautiful’. There is no doubt that his fifth solo offering, ‘Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford’, is one of the best albums that this humble reviewer has listened to this year.  

Not quite hip hop, not quite rap, not quite acoustic-rock and not quite country, the album is a quarter of each at the same time. Everlast also samples a couple of classic tunes at the same time, spinning in Cypress Hill’s ‘Insane in the Brain’ into his cover of Johnny Cash’s ‘Folsom Prison Blues’, and showcasing his hip-hop roots. It is Everlast's voice which is the biggest surprise – providing unique depth with its gravely edge.

‘Die in Yer Arms’ is perhaps the funkiest song of the album, however with ‘Friend’ the album reaches its peak and it is reminiscent of Everlast’s influence on Carlos Santana’s ‘Put Your Lights On’. The only way in which to describe ‘Friend’ is that it is simply a beautiful song. The lyrics and acoustic elements of ‘Maybe’ capture you, and ‘Letters Home from the Garden of Stone’ is an obvious choice as first single.

It is Everlast’s amalgamation of all of his musical influences that make him a remarkable artist. This album is devilishly good, and no song from it can be faulted.

9/10