Great With Animals, Even Better On Animals in the Dark

William Elliott Whitmore

Animals In The Dark

Anti

Action Rating: 7/10

The first thing that hits you is the voice. It’s an unmistakable voice. Surprisingly you probably wouldn’t guess it’s the voice of a white guy in his thirties. Then the songwriting hits you, telling a story of truth or suffering, very similar to the style of Johnny Cash.

This is William Elliott Whitmore, a bluesy folk singer, from Lee County, Iowa. With his unique gravelly voice, as his preferred instrument, accompanied by either banjo or guitar, Whitmore creates stunningly powerful songs. He has created three albums of stripped down blues. On his latest release, Animals in the Dark, Whitmore changes it up a bit. Adding strings, organ, and pedal steel and in some songs, even a full band.

A drum roll starts the politically charged opener “Mutiny”. This song sets the tone for the album. Whitmore’s pissed off vocals are the driving force of the song. Traveling over the drums, his voice is the lone instrument aside from the call and response chorus.

Whitmore continues the political theme in “Old Devils”. “When I say devils you know who I mean/those animals in the dark. Malicious politicians with their various schemes, charlatans and crooked cops”. It is clear to see who Whitmore is singing about. Yet Whitmore keeps his own view to himself.

“Who Stole the Soul” is beautiful, it’s just Whitmore singing and strumming acoustic guitar but it is the added strings that really convey the emotion. This track showcases Whitmore’s true songwriting talent.

“Oh Johnny Law, Johnny Law/He’s the littlest man you ever saw/With his badge and his gun he’ll just hassle everyone.” That’s the idea behind “Johnny Law”, a country song telling a story of Whitmore feelings on law enforcement. The song seems to have a Johnny Cash influence and it is one of the albums highlights.

“There’s Hope for you,” is the pinnacle of the album. The ringing tones of an organ catch the ear, adding a new element to Whitmore’s sound. Eventually drums kick in and it’s a full band playing while Whitmore sings, “You will overcome/ I promise you”, giving a sense of comfort and hope.

On the album’s closing song, “A Good Day to Die”, Whitmore shares his reflections of the good things in life. It is a very optimistic view in comparison to how dark some songs are from his previous work.

Animals in the Dark shows a change for William Elliott Whitmore. Adding the full band and more instruments created a lush sound, even though it is exclusive on about half the songs. Overall it is a solid album. The lyrics are very personal yet they can apply to everyone. If you’re a fan of Bon Iver, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, blues or folk music, check out William Elliott Whitmore. As far a folk singers go it doesn’t get much better than this. As Whitmore says in “Hell or High Water”, "Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em/ drink your glasses to the bottom." Animals in the Dark is worth the listen.

Standout tracks: Mutiny, Who Stole the Soul, Johnny Law, Old Devils, There's Hope For You