Americana Music Reviews

 

Alex Whitmore
Tale by the World
WMP Records


by Al Kunz

Bob Dylan's, to put it mildly, lacks clarity. Tiny Tim's was a high falsetto. Vince Bell sounds as if every word requires great exertion while for Charlie Rich the words seemed to flow effortlessly. All have found some degree of singing success, sometimes in spite of the voice they had to work with. Alex Whitmore's voice is pleasant, expressive yet smooth. It's mid-range timbre and lack of rough edges won't repel, but also don't immediately attract. Whitmore's wife tells me it's a voice that requires time for some to appreciate. She's right, over time it grows on you. But if you're one of those who need time for the charms of Whitmore's vocals to be revealed then there are plenty of other qualities to make the wait worthwhile.

Tale by the World is one of two discs Whitmore released last year. My View, the other recent release, was just Whitmore and his guitar, hoping to capture the essence of his solo performances in the coffeehouses and clubs of the Dallas Metroplex and around the country. With Tale by the World Whitmore enlisted a wide cast of fellow musicians to assist, fleshing out his instrumental arrangements for a full band sound.

Whitmore's stellar reputation in Dallas music circles is built on his singular fingerpicking style and a wry sense of humor found in many of his songs. He puts the band to good use on the rocked-up and humorous "My Kind of Girl," the story of a catch that seems too good to be true. ("She's my kind of girl / She's got my head in a whirl / She's got the tale by the world / and she's my kind of girl"). But, like Bobby Ewing's death on Dallas, reality turns out a little differently.

As the evening grew late, well I could hardly wait to win her heart and take her home with me
I could sing her my songs; it wouldn't take very long to fulfill my every fantasy
But I woke from my dreams, and it didn't really seem that my fantasy would ever unfurl
But late at night, when I'm dreamin' just right, she's still my kind of girl

Whitmore's daughters, Bonnie and Eleanor, sometimes play out with Dad, billing themselves as Daddy and the Divas. Both help Dad with harmony vocals and take instrumental turns on some cuts. Eleanor's violin provides a key ingredient for the Texas swing of "Never Gonna Get Texas Out of You." Anyone who's spent significant time in Texas understands this one, even a Yankee like me.

Well I wasn't born in Texas, but I've lived here most of my life
I grew up in those Texas hills, and I married me a Texas wife
You know once you get into Texas, you can do what you're gonna do
But you're never gonna get Texas out of you

Like sand from the beach, it's gonna reach, deep inside your clothes
And the sound of the beat, it's gonna creep, right down to you toes
You can get the hell out of Texas, you can move away to somewhere new
But you're never gonna get Texas out of you

Whitmore helped put himself through college as a folk singer playing coffee shops and such. While various flavors of roots music figure in his style, the folk background is still prominent. "Just to See Your Smile" is another drivin'-a-long-way-to-see-my-baby tune. But instead of the country or rock style more common to this type of song it's done as a dreamy folk ballad.

Miles and miles of interstate, I've left it far behind
Four more hours of two lane road that twists and turns and winds
Just to see, just to see your smile

I left the glow of city lights, the traffic and the stress
Ten hours of highway therapy help forget that whole mess
Just to see, just to see your smile

While Whitmore's songwriting is normally humorous, or at least upbeat, he throws us an unexpected twist in "Life's Lonesome Highway." A just married couple wins the lottery and thinks they've "got it made." But as the novelty wears off the marriage takes an unexpected turn.

Well a year went by and they were living well
But the fires of love and the passions quelled
Jimmy thinks they're headin' for a fall
Betty thinks "I better take it all"
Well, she shot him dead and didn't bat an eye
But the law found out, they're driving close behind

They're driving down life's lonesome highway
They say she's going down the first chance we get, you bet

Those familiar with Alex Whitmore through live performances or his My View disc will find Tale by the World to be a change from past experience. By taking advantage of additional musicians Whitmore broke from the constraints of "just a singer and his guitar" to spice his sound with a variety of influences.

*Visit www.2aw.com for song samples, ordering instructions, or more information.



Contact Al Kunz at kunz-at-rockzilla.net

 
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