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Hotel Vast Horizon
Home > Complete List of "v-w" Artists > Vast > Item 22
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Hotel Vast Horizon
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by Chris Whitley
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$14.98
At Amazon
on 9-8-2008.
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Some say that every Whitley record has a different feel, a different style. Yet, if you listen closely you'll find a deeper consistency across all his work: no reason to be distracted by first impressions, right? "Hotel Vast Horizon" is an especially consistent piece of work: the songs, lyrical themes, instrumentation and mood are strikingly well integrated, creating an atmosphere of sadness and just-missed redemption. In fact, at times the playing here hints at a leitmotif-like approach, and some phrases seem to echo through the individual pieces. The sound is warm and fat with a great bounce in the bass -- maybe that's why there's a picture of a mic on the CD itself. The guitars have more of an acoustic feel, dobro-like with a ringing, metal string raggedness that makes the music loose and tight, lazy and focused all at once. It's easy to recall some of the better moments of Tom Waits -- particularly moments in "The Mule Variations". But Whitley's voice gives us more range and more shades of meaning. And the music and lyrics are here more single-minded, more interested in interior perspectives than the world outside. The title "Hotel Vast Horizon" and its bleak winter setting must be meant to act as a metaphor, and more than a few come to mind. But it seems better to leave it undefined. Whitley's band here -- Heiko Schramm on basses and Matthais Macht on percussion -- play with the same understated authority. The overall impression is one of musicians who have played together for a long time, whose playing interacts in ways that are free of overstatement, ornamentation and sensationalism. Every note is necessary. So, what are you worried about? Buy this CD and support someone whose work is both emotionally and intellectually aware.
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Hotel Vast Horizon
Available from Amazon
Price: $14.98
Updated on 9-8-2008.
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