compulsory, or not.. but really
If you have never really had a look at Chris Whitley before, this is the place that I recommend that you cast your gaze. Many people didnt hang around after Living With The Law as Chris broke with obvious roots based direction and went more sonically experimental in his following two albums, the better of the two in my opinion being Din Of Ecstacy over Terra Incognita.. which was also great. I think of Dirt Floor as being close to Hotel Wast Horizon atmospherically, but all of his albums are unique pieces that stand on thier own. Hotel Vast Horizon seems to have the closest representation of what encountering the man was like, at least for yours truly. He was one artist who neednt be seperated from his art, he was a kind and gracious cat. Its a truly wonderful piece. Try New Lost World, Frontier, the title track and Wide Open Return. It is truly sad that he is no longer here, but I think that where ever he has gone, they are better prepared to recieve his own genius.
