Chris Whitley - Din of Ecstasy (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

His best so far

04/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Inspired to write, came across some pans of this album; must not have heard it live, or lived in any kind of desperate situation. I can hardly listen to the comfortable Living with the Law anymore, and while I enjoy Terra, Rocket House, Hotel, etc., this album has such a layered, twisting emotional core and SOUND! that it really stands above his other work. His live performances get at this raw quality; but just thinking about the opening chords of the title track, opening up for the lyrics as the party closes- these words come from close observation - nipple rings and tatoos; none of the sentimental american country pablum that can creep in to his other work (see LWTL) is eveident here. I hate to think that he was vectored from this path via the heat he received from disappointed fans, but I wonder why this awesome album hasn't really been followed up. Can't please everyone, but urge Whitley fans to give this one a good listen- may not make sense driving down a highway in the middle of nowhere, but if you're hanging around a bar by yourself in a real city (another disappearing American landscape) some night you'll get it."

For some reason...

Zachary Smith | San Francisco, CA United States | 12/23/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i felt i had to weigh in on this little controversy even though it's kind of a dead issue. it seems that people either love this album and at least like "living with the law" or else love "living..." and detest this one. i'll up the ante a bit. i don't know what mr. whitley thought he was doing with daniel lanois on "living with the law" but the result, while pretty, is over-produced, watered down and sentimental. by comparison "din of ecstasy" is a shot of the straight stuff. for shear aweswome power held in the hands of master, there are few rock songs in any sub-genre that compete with "guns and dolls" (maybe "what the whole world wants" by scott miller comes close). the other songs aren't bad either. whitley really lets his guitar shine here rather than burying it in a sea of synths and (ewww) fretless bass flourishes. (not that there's anything WRONG with being fretless...) he has poet's ear and a blues player's geotropism. my take is that the people who don't like this album, while they're entitled to their opinion, just don't get it."

One of the great unknown albums of the '90s

John Alapick | Wilkes-Barre, PA United States | 05/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Chris Whitley's Din of Ecstasy is an excellent album and is just as strong as his debut Living With The Law. Many critics panned this album because it didn't sound like his debut and he seemed at the time to trade in the pedal steel for a distortion pedal. It's a very dark album relying on a heavier grunge sound. Chris Whitley continues to sing with incredible emotion and his tone matches the feel of each track. Sometimes he sounds melancholy, sometimes very laid back, and at other times like he's on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Every song is good here with the best being "Din", "Narcotic Prayer", "O God My Heart is Ready", "Guns and Dolls", and "WPL." This is an album you have to listen to in one sitting to completely appreciate it. An excellent album from a singer/songwriter who never received the recognition he deserved."

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