Graham Reid | | <1 min read
Jim White: Diamonds to Coal
White came into something close to mainstream attention with his droll film Searching For The Wrong-Eyed Jesus, a poke around the backroads and backwoods of the American South and the music and characters that make it so distinctive.
It was at times uncomfortable viewing, but also an essential documentary if you want to get a handle on "that dark Southern stuff" as Lucinda Williams calls it.
White's albums have had less attention but have always been acclaimed for their unique and sometimes disturbing vision, and music which can charm or disarm by turns. This album is no exception: there are some chipper sounding songs up-front but as the journey continues the mood darkens and the music (deftly arranged as always) becomes more disconcerting too.
The final track is It's Been A Long Day which might well be a farewell note delivered over a slow plucked banjo that sounds slightly unearthly.
White will perhaps only skim into the attention of many who profess a liking for folk Americana, but those who discover him wait expectantly for any new album.
The wait is over folks.
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