Cheap Perfect Day (Music) (Chris Whitley) Price

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Customer Reviews of Perfect Day

It gets every one of those stars for the first song.
Even if you never listen to any of the other tracks, you should buy this album just to hear Chris' utterly brilliant rendition of Dylan's 'Spanish Harlem Incident.' Overall, I think the album is perhaps a little too muted for my taste and one of the best thing about Whitley is his inventive way with lyrics, which is lacking here on an album of covers. That said, 'SHI' is so tender and personal that it is easily worth the price of the whole disc. As is so often the case with astute Dylan covers, Whitley shades the song with new layers of urgency and plangency. Truly moving.

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Yet another side of a growing artist
Three things stick about about Chris Whitley's latest superb effort. First, in case you haven't looked at the song titles (I didn't bother before buying it), he didn't write a single song on the album (in fact, any self-respecting music fan already owns the originals). If you are anything like me, an entire album of covers should be an enormous neon warning sign reading "STAY AWAY: DEVOID OF CREATIVITY." Let me assure you that this is not the case. We are talking about Chris Whitley here, and he knows full well that the only appropriate way to do a cover of another artist's song is to transform it into something completely different; to make it your own. Chris does just that. The songs may not be his, but the sound most definitely is, and his elegant voice and subtle but brilliant guitar work come across as beautifully as ever. In fact, the sound is so different from the originals that someone who had never heard the originals would think they sounded like vintage Chris Whitley. Next, for the first time since Terra Incognita, he has recorded with a rhythm section of more than his foot and a stomp box. Again, though, never fear. The backing band are none other than Billy Martin and Chris Wood of Medeski, Martin and Wood, who have proven that they are, in fact, capable of playing something that isn't just a Meters imitation. Their percussion and bass are, in fact, as important to the sound on this album as Whitley's guitar, and manage to support Chris Whitley without detracting from the wonderful, stripped-down atmosphere in which he sounds best. Finally, there is an aesthetic change here from much of Whitley's recent work. I have always considered his greatest strength to be his ability to play music that is gut-wrenching, intense and visceral. On Perfect Day, he shows that he can evoke peacefulness and serenity equally well. Dirt Floor is one of my all-time favorite albums, but it is intense enough that I rarely listen to it. This album has much more of a calming effect on me. It is yet another testament to Chris Whitley's brilliance that he can pull off both so well.

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Wild Ox Moan?
I special ordered this album after reading a review in Jazziz praising the artist and his work. One week later I couldn't wait to unwrap it and stuff it into my CD player ...........AWFUL, pure and simple. As I continue to read flowery reviews I am bewildered. Weak and reedy voice, poor recording, background instrumentals muffled and distracting. The title Wild Ox Moan about says it all. Honestly, I cannot make it through a single song or through the album at a single sitting.