| Popmatters |
 William Elliott Whitmore is a bit of an anomaly. He’s got the slim, tattooed body of a punk rocker and the voice of a 90-year old black bluesman. He’s a musician who has toured with the likes of Murder By Death and opened for the Pogues, but off the road he spends his days as a horse farmer in Iowa. His previous album, Song of the Blackbird, was something of a concept album, telling the story of Lee County, as it shifts from drought to flood. This is his first album for punk label Anti-, which has slowly but surely been increasing a country-and-roots roster that includes Neko Case, and for a short time before his death, included the legendary Porter Wagoner.
Animals in the Dark is Whitmore’s most political album to date, with several songs referencing the troubles facing this country, a problem which Whitmore blames on authority figures who abuse their power. The record begins with the nautically themed “Mutiny”, an impassioned chant without any instrumentation, save for martial drums thumping in the background. Here Whitmore borrows from old school rapper Rock Master Scott’s “The Roof is On Fire,” with the classic call-and-response, “We don’t need no water / Let the motherfucker burn”, clearly aligning himself with the protest-song genre....full text |
|
| Spin |
| Consumed by outrage at malicious politicians, sadistic cops, and other dirtbags, Iowa's William Elliott Whitmore unleashes tirades in the growl of a crazed backwoods preacher threatening eternal damnation. And though these stark folk/blues tunes could be a century old, his tales of desperation, death, and despair crackle with agitprop punk urgency. For all its grim honesty, Whitmore's fifth album also boasts a survivor's tenacity -- "There's Hope for You" and "Hard Times" offer fiery moral support....full text |
|
| Slantmagazine |
| William Elliott Whitmore is one of those distinctly blessed vocalists who can feel comfortable knowing that no matter what changes he makes, in sound or lyrics or image, the focus will always remain on his voice. This is far from a bad thing, because Whitmore's baritone is a magnificent, even frightening instrument, impossibly thick and husky, deep and somber in a defiantly ageless manner. Animals in the Dark befits this quality by fleshing his voice out with heavier backing than Whitmore is used to, providing a punch that if not equal to his growl at least doesn't back down from it. Other songs are more traditional, banjo and rural acoustic blues steeped heavily in the Iowa farm country that has become his milieu. In both cases, his voice leads the material along, punching up the momentum of the heavier songs and providing an earthy low end for the simpler ones. Williams also expands his lyrical focus, taking on a political slant that finds him surpassing the limits of the pastoral and approaching more universal topics. There's a definite preoccupation with the miscues of authority, from the swaggering temerity of "Johnny Law" to the straightforward anger of "Old Devils." Whitmore's targets are inclusive but clearly defined (the power-hungry and corrupt), and while he approaches this attack less than delicately, his commanding voice makes it all the more convincing. The convergence of these three elements—fiery political lyrics, booming voice, stormy backing of a full band—suit him, assuring that weaker moments, like the lyrics of "Mutiny," never become overwhelming. Even in that case, the often puerile words are overridden by pounding bass, a marching snare line, and imperious assurance with which Whitmore delivers them, turning a potentially feeble song into one of the album's best....full text |
|
Send "William Elliott Whitmore " Ringtones to your Cell 
