Whitey Ford Sings the Blues

• Artist: Everlast
• Rating:
• Release Date: September 08, 1998
• Total Time: 55:07
• Type: Contains explicit content
• Genre: Rap

Review

Saying that Everlast showed a great deal of artistic growth between his first and second solo albums would be a understatement. While 1989/1990's Forever Everlasting was a decent, if uneven, debut, Everlast's second solo album, Whitey Ford Sings the Blues is an amazingly eclectic gem that finds him really pushing himself creatively. Between those two albums, Everlast joined and left House of Pain, which evolved into one of the most distinctive rap groups of the 1990s. While Pain's albums thrived on wildness for its own sake, Whitey Ford has a much more introspective and serious tone. Everlast, who was born with a heart defect, was in the process of recording the album when he needed life-saving open-heart surgery; in fact, he was lucky that he was around to see Whitey Ford completed and released. Though not without its share of hardcore b-boy rap, Whitey Ford also finds Everlast playing acoustic guitar, doing some singing, and exploring folk-rock, Memphis soul, and heavy metal. As a singer, Everlast has a relaxed style that sounds a bit like Gil Scott-Heron. "Today (Watch Me Shine)," "Ends," and "What It's Like" venture into Neil Young/Bob Dylan territory, while "Hot to Death" is blistering metal with industrial touches. And the plot thickens -- on "The Letter," he raps over a jazz-influenced piano. Given how rap's hardcore tends to frown on rappers crossing over to rock, it took guts for Everlast to be so diverse. But it's a good thing that he did, for his risk-taking pays off handsomely on this outstanding release. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
The White Boy Is Back	Mark Morales, Damon Wimbley, Kurtis Blow	Everlast	(:45)
Money (Dollar Bill)	Erik Schrody, D. Ross, R. Simmons	Everlast, Sadat X	(3:14)
Ends (Lyrics)	Erik Schrody, D. Ross	Everlast	(4:33)
What It's Like (Lyrics)	Erik Schrody	Everlast	(5:03)
Get Down (Lyrics)	Everlast	Everlast	(3:59)
Sen Dog		Everlast	(:15)
Tired (Lyrics)	D. Ross, John Gamble, Erik Schrody	Everlast	(2:22)
Hot to Death (Lyrics)	Erik Schrody	Everlast	(3:49)
Painkillers (Lyrics)	Erik Schrody	Everlast	(3:23)
Prince Paul		Everlast	(:59)
Praise the Lord (Lyrics)	E-Swift, Chris E. Martin, Erik Schrody	Everlast	(3:05)
Today (Watch Me Shine)	Erik Schrody	Everlast, Bronx Style Bob	(5:02)
Guru		Everlast	(:17)
Death Comes Callin' (Lyrics)	B. Curtis, Erik Schrody	Everlast	(4:16)
Funky Beat (Lyrics)	Erik Schrody, M. Johnson, Sekou Bunch, D. Ross	Casual, Sadat X, Everlast	(4:03)
The Letter	D. Ross, Erik Schrody	Everlast	(2:06)
7 Years	Erik Schrody, D. Ross	Everlast	(4:04)
Next Man [CD Bonus Cut]	Erik Schrody, D. Ross	Everlast	(3:52)

Credits

John Gamble (Engineer), Dante Ross (Strings), Elizabeth Wright (Cello), Giovanni Loria (Bass), Human Beat Box (Guitar), Bronx Style Bob (Performer), Divine Styler (Mixing), Bronx Style Bob (Vocals (Background)), Double G (Horn Arrangements), Everlast (Guitar), John Gamble (Mixing), Ben Boccardo (Bass), Casual (?), Dante Ross (Bass), DJ Babu (Cut), Dante Ross (Scratching), Geoffrey Gallegos (?), John Wang (Viola), Todd M. Simon (Trumpet), Everlast (Scratching), Dante Ross (Mixing), John Gamble (Producer), Divine Styler (Producer), Jason Rand (Art Direction), Norwood Fisher (Bass), E-Swift (Producer), Jacqueline Suzuki (Violin), Siba-Giba (Producer), Dante Ross (Executive Producer), Kia Jeffries (Vocals), Sadat X (Performer), Carl Stubner (Executive Producer), DJ Daz (Cut), Jamey Staub (Mixing), Alen C. Agadhzhanyan (Violin), E-Swift (Mixing), Dante Ross (Piano), Casual (Performer), Brand Nubian (?), Keith Carter (Photography), Stephen Cullo (Keyboards), Bronx Style Bob (Vocals), Everlast (Producer), Dante Ross (Producer), Nasty (Overdubs), Jason Rand (Design)

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