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 08/2006

    Jennifer O’Connor
    Over The Mountain, Across The Valley & Back To The Stars

  • reviewed 10/2008

    Ben Folds
    - Way to Normal

  • reviewed 04/2012

    THERESA ANDERSSON
    Street Parade

  • reviewed 01/2007

    THE BIRD AND THE BEE
    The Bird and The Bee

  • reviewed 05/2012

    TANLINES
    Mixed Emotions

  • reviewed 01/2009

    BUTCH WALKER
    Sycamore Meadows

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.