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.
NLX
In Your Face & Behind Your Back
MAYER HAWTHORNE
A Strange Arrangement
SHANNON WHITWORTH & BARRETT SMITH
Bring It On Home
THE FLOURIDE PROGRAM
Roadside Flowers
R.E.M.
Unplugged 1991&2001 The Complete Recordings
COCOROSIE
Tales of a Grasswidow
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