This CD is a good deal better. More refined - his trademark acoustic guitar against heavy baseline, his weaving of rap in with Tobacco throated lyrics, even the chorus' are cleaner - you can tell he paid a great deal of attention to this work.

I like pretty much every song on the album, but my favorite are the following:

Blinded by the Sun

Lonely Road

White Trash Beautiful

and absolute favorite on the album (listened to it like 20 times in a row) is "Sleepin' Alone".

I recommend this CD highly. Enjoy.

Christian Hunter


Dylan Meets Chuck D   December 27, 2004
 17 out of 17 found this review helpful

"White Trash Beautiful" finds a maturing Everlast settling into a cohesive folk-rap sound that extends throughout the album. His past efforts tended to lean in both directions at once -- one a more straightforward rap sound and the other a unique blend of folk, rap and rock. This time around, we get a batch of heartbreaking tunes that sound like Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" laid over one killer beat after another. Everlast's folk-rap fusion never lets up for a second here, and this sense of focus makes for Everlast's most consistent album to date.

"White Trash Beautiful" also plays like a concept album, beginning with "Blinded By the Sun," a tune about found love, then slips into the wistful "Broken," a gorgeous song in which Everlast begins to speak in the first person voice that pervades the album, confessing his love and fearing that it's on the brink of ruin. While "Broken" is probably the most tasteful composition of Everlast's life, much of the album rises to its standards and even yields some bursts of lyrical precision that match the intensity of the music:

Your clothes are all gone and you aint there
Your makeup drawer is empty
I found an old picture of you shampooing your hair
Now we aint even friendly

This isolation, seclusion and loss overwhelm the album like a thick stench of gasoline.

For all this albums glories, though, I did find myself wondering at times whether Everlast is painting himself into a corner here, whether he may want to explore a new direction next time around. A few bursts of electric guitar or perhaps some percussion or real drums might have enlivened the album's rather understated production. I fear that Everlast may run the risk of confining his creativity to a rigid formula rather than taking the risks of stretching its boundaries a bit more. However, as most rap albums suffer from tacky overpdocution, it is refreshing to hear such restraint from a former House of Pain member, and perhaps the album's difficult content doesn't really allow for any more production than is already here. In any event, "White Trash beautiful" is a miracle of one man's maturity and loss, and no matter where Everlast goes from here, there can be no doubt that his recent trilogy of albums represents one of the most impressive artistic make-overs the rap world has produced.

Visit my blog at [...]


White Trash Beautiful music.   November 2, 2004
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

This guy hits the spot with me, with an important kind of musical statement for my generation. The music is a mixture of folk, blues, a little bit of rock and a smattering of rap. The vocal style is perfect for the music; that smokey, raspy, small venue barroom croon. The writing is gut wrenchingly real for a 30's something guy dealing with love, loss, and life in the trenches. I can relate. I am a lover of all kinds of heavy rock, and listening to Everlast once in awhile is simple, pure bliss. This is his finest album to date, and one can only assume he's maturing, and only getting better! It takes a special ear to appreciate this offering.


Much Better Than I Even Hoped for.   May 25, 2004
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Whenever I name drop a magazine in these reviews, my review does not get printed. When I review an album on Amazon it is because I feel the need to share my unbiased opinion. The first I heard about this album was that is was not worth buying and got 1 star out of 5 in an unnamed magazine. I bought it just because of the respect I have for Everlast and what he has done for hip hop and himself. This album is not perfect but solid. I gave it 5 stars just to nullify the 1 star rating someone else gave it : ). There are no stand out smash hits, but every song is as solid as possible. It is very personal and it seems thats Everlast was going through relationship problems when he wrote most of the album, which I praise him for because I can relate. The top 5 tracks on this album are :1 Blinded By The Sun, 2. Soul Music, 3. Ticking Away, 4. Lonely Road, 5.Broken/The Warning (Tie). Good to hear Everlast still doin it.


The Great White Rapper   November 10, 2006
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

I have been listening to rap for along time. Since 1978 to be exact. I have seen great rappers come and go, especially white ones. I remember seeing Everlast for the first time in the late 80's when he was down with Ice T's Syndicate. Unfortunately, due to time perception - most are saying that Eminem is the best white rapper by far. I think these critics have not went back and listened to Everlasts lyrics and style. The White Boys, Snow, V Ice, Beasties, on and on - simply do not have the depth, strength and intellect that Everlast contains. He is by far, the greatest white recorded rapper up to this point in history. He is the bar to which almost all should be measured.