An excellent slide guitarist with a confident, veloce curviness that varies high, lonesome country with moaning country blues, Whitley unraveled his early commercial potential one album at a time. He deserves our admiratio... more »n for following up his mostly acoustic debut, Living with the Law, with a pair of white-noise albums loud enough to make Sonic Youth wear earplugs. But he also lost his lucrative contract with Sony. "Dirt Floor," with a barren, desperate quality and iterative images of running (especially on the intense "Ballpeen Hammer" and the love-and-loss ballad "Loco Girl") has the same airy, blues feeling of his superb early singles. --Steve Knopper« less
An excellent slide guitarist with a confident, veloce curviness that varies high, lonesome country with moaning country blues, Whitley unraveled his early commercial potential one album at a time. He deserves our admiration for following up his mostly acoustic debut, Living with the Law, with a pair of white-noise albums loud enough to make Sonic Youth wear earplugs. But he also lost his lucrative contract with Sony. "Dirt Floor," with a barren, desperate quality and iterative images of running (especially on the intense "Ballpeen Hammer" and the love-and-loss ballad "Loco Girl") has the same airy, blues feeling of his superb early singles. --Steve Knopper
"At the time this was coming out I went to see Chris at a local club. The only problem was the boneheads that owned it forgot to advertise so It was Chris, me my 5 friends and about 10 other people. He played most of this collection along with solo version of songs from other cds and I have to say it was as emotional a music experience as I've ever had. When I put this cd on it is so alive and warm that I go back to that night. So I use this rarely. Buy This. Drop that hammer and Run!"
R.I.P. we will miss you.
John C. Temple | 12/06/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A piece of our hearts have gone with the beloved Chris Whitley. I leave this comment here, because this is where it all started. If you go to Chris Whitley's official website you will see why as well. Also, please read the touching eulogy his daughter, Trixie has left.
I feel like I have lost a friend. A hero. A mentor. An inspiration in the truest form.
We will miss you, Chris."
Powerful, Personal, and Profound
Fred McGhee | Austin, TX | 02/22/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The power of Chris Whitley's talent is on full display here. This album contains a broad tapestry of themes and motifs that deepen after almost every listen. Whitley's compositions are first rate, and his playing is more than up to the task. This is clearly the work of a true artist, someone who takes what he does very seriously and who respects his audience.
Most impressive."
The Hidden Best
david moyes | Aberdeen, Scotland | 03/09/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I lost my copy of Dirt Floor, along with a few other good albums, a while ago, and while i miss them, the others dont make me feel like i feel when i rememer Dirt Floor. Today, amongst tongue-in-cheek rock and pocket-money-grabbing pop its easy to think that serious music is anal, too serious, that it misses the light-hearted point of popular music (in the general sense). But let this album stand as a testament to the fact that music can - its not a cheesy cliche - have a beauty that seeps deep into your soul like gravy into a yorkshire pudding, and makes the mundane give way to the divine (like gravy in a yorkshire pudding. Let it stand as a testament to the fact that human beings are not animals or machines or consumers or numbers or just things, but something deep and mysterious. Let it stand as a testament to the power of simple honest things that feel like reality smiling back. If that sounds over the top, you havent listened to Dirt Foor. If you've listened to it and still think it sounds over the top, you havent HEARD it (note "white men cant jump" debt). That i no longer have this album makes me feel sad, because its beauty it huge, and we all need beauty. Forget about stardom, forget about genre, forget about cool, forget about rockin', forget about fashion. Dirt Floor is just so beautiful. Thats all i have to say."
Rare Flight
david moyes | 07/20/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Picture this: You're a fan of authentic bluesy acoustic music. The greatest ever invites you over to his house to sip a few beers and listen to him play. You're sitting there drinking your Red Stripe and watching this guy across the coffee table put down the most incredible music on slide guitar/duolin/banjo you've ever heard. Sound like a good time? This album is just that. Buy this CD! You'll notice some things immediately once you do: 1. It's only 26:51 long (believe me, thats enough!)2. Each track is Whitley and the instrument of his choice. Period. One take. One guy. No retakes. No overdubs. Pure, raw, powerful, gut-wrenching landscapes of sound that are bluesy, yet defy a single categorization (For maximum effect, use good headphones!) 3. It was recorded in one day. Ever once in a while, an artist comes along that hears the blues in a new, refreshingly innovative way - and has the skill to bring it out exactly how they hear it. Chris Whitley's such! an artist. He creates the richest, biting, lyrical sounds on his instruments of choice (duolin, triolin, national steel, banjo) of anyone in a long time - maybe ever. And his voice and phrasing is in perfect sync with the sounds he creates. This is by far his best work yet.If you're a fan of "Phone Call From Leavenworth" and "Dust Radio" (off the first album), you'll love "Scrapyard Lullaby" and "Indian Summer" off this latest release. If you dug "Broken Crosses" off Terra Incognita, you'll be all over "Wild Country". One fan in this review list said that Chris Whitley's the best ever. Ever. And I'd have to agree. I'm a big fan of the blues masters - Duane Allman, Clapton, Johnny Winter, the "Alberts" (King and Collins), etc etc. Whitley simply blows them all away. Not in a flashy, "look I know my scales" style. A quiet masterful refreshing groove that grabs you in the gut. Yet if thi! s is "blues", Whitley continues his habit of taki! ng it new directions...exploring,reaching - yet still true to the genre. Simply incredible!Enjoy!!"