Chris Whitley
Living With The Law (1991)

review by: Mike Webb
Date: 10/18/00

Chris Whitley is a little bit like Ralph Nader. Neither guy stands a chance of getting a million votes or selling a million records, but boy do they have the right ideas.

Nader's first claim to fame was his book "Unsafe At Any Speed" - a cautionary tale about the auto industry and the Chevrolet Corvair. It set the tone for his consumer advocate career, and it's the one thing most people remember about him.

Whitley's first claim was Living With The Law - a beautifully crafted, lazily sung, moody, blues hybrid album that stands as his chief accomplishment. There's some fiery electric guitars, and some expressive & emotional acoustic work as well. As with Ralph, his first work is so complete, that none of his other albums have been able to live up to that landmark.

Currently Ralph is running for President of the United States. If you're like most "working people", you probably don't really care and will vote for one of the major party candidates who don't really give a fig about you because their agenda has already been set by corporate America. Whitley is currently on tour with the funky rhythm section from Soul Coughing, and he's out there making fun, vital, almost visionary music that's not hard to "get" if corporate radio would just give it a chance on the air.

Ignore both men at your own peril, because they both have something important to say.