Everlast - Whitey Ford Sings The Blues (Tommy Boy) 'The white boy is back, and you know he could never be wack,' are the opening lyrics to this album. Often rappers boasting of their lyrical abilities are overcompensating for a serious lack of skill. That is not the case here, and this 'white boy', also known as Erik Schrody, is back after some emotional upheaval with his cutting edge second album, Whitey Ford Sings The Blues.
Best known as frontman for Irish-American hip-hop group House Of Pain, the ones responsible for worldwide club hit Jump Around, Everlast's solo effort is nowhere near the commercial drivel of that over-played song.
This guitar-strumming rapper is part alternative rock, part rap, and then some.
Although his deep, gravelly singing voice is fairly easy on the ears, Everlast really excels on this album's rap tracks.
Replete with deep, introspective lyrics, Everlast, with his gruff rapping style, holds his own against such luminaries as rapper Sadat X, who appears on the stellar Money (Dollar Bill).
The production here is also noteworthy, with some head-bobbing beats and refreshing sampling.