Hymns for the Hopeless
General
| Nov 2003
Reviews
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Reviewed 2004-02-01
Reviewed 2004-02-01
William Elliott Whitmore -- Hymns for the Hopeless
Delta blues/folk/bluesgrass -- Everyone knows the "O Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack spawned countless blues/folk imitators and bandwaggoners -- suddenly fiddles and banjos and everywhere and being a hayseed was cool again. But this album's a keeper. In the tradition of Ralph Stanley and Johnny Cash, these spiritual blues laments about death, murder, and longing go beyond any passing fancy. Sparse instrumentation serves to emphasize the tales of pain -- Whitmore's powerful, gritty voice is usually only backed by his banjo, with occasionally accompaniment from guitar, organ and handclaps. Great!! PICS: 2, 5, 6, 7, 8
1. voice only + whistling wind
2. junky blues, banjo + guitar, drum rolls, great!
3. banjo + voice only, bluegrass/blues
4. gospel, understated, midtempo
5. slow, death ballad -- amazing!
6. voice + banjo only -- powerful
7. banjo + voice at beg., organ and drums later -- great!
8. drum + handclaps, midtempo spiritual -- track ends at 3:10 then there's a secret track at 3:40
Delta blues/folk/bluesgrass -- Everyone knows the "O Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack spawned countless blues/folk imitators and bandwaggoners -- suddenly fiddles and banjos and everywhere and being a hayseed was cool again. But this album's a keeper. In the tradition of Ralph Stanley and Johnny Cash, these spiritual blues laments about death, murder, and longing go beyond any passing fancy. Sparse instrumentation serves to emphasize the tales of pain -- Whitmore's powerful, gritty voice is usually only backed by his banjo, with occasionally accompaniment from guitar, organ and handclaps. Great!! PICS: 2, 5, 6, 7, 8
1. voice only + whistling wind
2. junky blues, banjo + guitar, drum rolls, great!
3. banjo + voice only, bluegrass/blues
4. gospel, understated, midtempo
5. slow, death ballad -- amazing!
6. voice + banjo only -- powerful
7. banjo + voice at beg., organ and drums later -- great!
8. drum + handclaps, midtempo spiritual -- track ends at 3:10 then there's a secret track at 3:40
Recent airplay
Sometimes Our Dreams Float
The Songsmith Show — Dec 28, 2012
Pine Box
Cleanup on Aisle You — Aug 23, 2004
Sometimes Our Dreams Float
old skool — Jul 08, 2004
Sometimes Our Dreams Float
press and release — Mar 31, 2004
Sometimes Our Dreams Float
the rust belt — Mar 14, 2004
Pine Box
!rust belt! — Feb 29, 2004
Charting
2004-02-16 — 2004-04-19
| Week Ending | Airplays |
|---|---|
| Apr 4 | 1 |
| Mar 21 | 1 |
| Mar 7 | 1 |
| Feb 22 | 4 |
Track listing
| 1. | Cold and Dead | ||
| 2. | Sometimes Our Dreams Float | ||
| 3. | Does Me no Good | ||
| 4. | Lord Only Knows | ||
| 5. | Pine Box | ||
| 6. | From the Cell Door to the Ga | ||
| 7. | Burn My Body | ||
| 8. | Our Paths Will Cross Again |