Barrence Whitfield with Tom Russell

Hillbilly Voodoo

2013-11-13

Hillbilly Voodoo finds soul singer Barrence Whitfield teaming up with folk/Americana mainstay Tom Russell for a delightfully jangly set of country-tinged grooves. 4 of the 12 tracks are composed by Russell himself (including goofy standout "The Cuban Sandwich"), while the other 8 are covers written by an array of artists from Lucinda Williams to Arkansas legend Jimmy Driftwood, from a Van Morrison cut to a Dylan rework. No matter who wrote the tune, all the songs on Hillbillly Voodoo are performed with a lighthearted, funky, and occasionally silly storyteller perspective born of Whitfield and Russell's chemistry; Whitfield's voice warbles charismatically above the music, and Russell's omnipresent guitar work offers a substantial backbone for the album. While some of the rehashes are lukewarm (notably "Mississippi You're On My Mind"), songs like "Ice Water" and "Cleaning Windows" offer a fresh and colorful spin on songs from ages past.

Recommended Tracks: #2 "The Cuban Sandwich", #7 "Ice Water", #12 "Cleaning Windows"

Sigmund Steiger 

Quick Links:

More reviews tagged #Rock

  • reviewed 05/2007

    JAMES MORRISON
    Undiscovered

  • reviewed 06/2006

    GREG LASWELL
    Through Toledo

  • reviewed 10/2008

    Joseph Arthur and The Lonely Astronauts
    - Temporary People

  • reviewed 12/2008

    TRAVIS
    Ode to J. Smith

  • reviewed 02/2014

    THE REAL LAZY GENIUS
    Dreamy

  • reviewed 09/2008

    MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD
    ALL REBEL ROCKERS

Compiled by the WYCE Journalism Club

The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.