Song of the Blackbird
The organic musical progression of this young, rural Iowan continues to impress.  Though he has yet to reach 30, his gravelly voice; themes of mortality, loss, and redemption; and spare accompaniment on banjo and guitar evoke an era before electricity and indoor plumbing. Yet there's a melodic warmth and spirit of renewal here that was nowhere to be heard on Whitmore's two previous albums. As the song cycle proceeds from drought to flood, the musical narrator even proclaims himself a "happy feller" at one point, though happiness remains barely a glimmer throughout much of his music. Both the stunning "The Chariot" (which puts a darker spin on "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken") and "Red Buds" benefit from the backing of keyboardist Dave Zollo and drummer John Crawford, while the thematically pivotal instrumental, "And Then the Rains Came," adds electronic atmospherics and sound effects over a repetitive guitar drone.  From the elegy for a dying breed of "Rest His Soul" to the closing meditation on loss and memory in "Everyday," Whitmore continues to craft a remarkable body of work.--Don McLeese