Another whitey ford. If you like Whitey Ford Sings the Blues this is a must for your collection.

If you haven't ever listened to non-radio Everlast do.. the other reviews can attest the quality of his works.

Yup, maybe even better than the classic breakthrough, Whitey Ford Sings the Blues. Some narrowminded rap/hip-hop fans might scoff at seeing Everlast belting lyrics like this:
I'm so lonesome I could die.
But lyrics such as these are so real (his heart attack in 1998) that Everlast makes it work. Honestly, this man is a genius. I have all of his albums excluding 1990's Forever Everlasting on Rhyme Syndicate. Everlast is a great rapper, a great singer, and a great guitarist. Most of the songs on here have this rough formula:

-Guttural vocals
-Acoustic folk-esque guitar
-Tales of love or from the streets
-Hip-Hop stomp-to-clap beats
-Tight songwriting

Overall, this record is a must have for any open-minded fan of the following genres: rock, folk, country, blues, soul, r'n'b (real r'n'b, not Usher), rap, hip-hop. Heck, forget that. EVERY fan of music should have this.

I'll end this with a rating of each track.
1. Blinded by the Sun - ***** - Killer opening track
2. Broken - *** - Not one of the best by Mr. Schrody
3. White Trash Beautiful - **** - The title track. Very good.
4. Sleepin' Alone - **** - Heartfelt rap song. Nice.
5. The Warning - ** - Probably the worst song on the album.
6. Angel - **** - Great mid-tempo rocker.
7. This Kind of Lonely - **** - Fantastic song.
8. Soul Music - **** - Catchy, and humorous at parts.
9. GodWanna - ***** - Everlast pimps once more.
10. Lonely Road - ************* - Stellar. Best song on the album.
11. Sad Girl - *** - Mixes rap and rock in the same one.
12. Ticking Away - *** - Not a stand-out, but good.
13. Pain - **** - Pretty darn good.
14. 2 Pieces of Drama - *** - Good.
15. Maybe - *** - See above.

I support whatever Everlast wants to do. He is fantastic.

Everlast's mix of hip-hop beats, acoustic guitar and his unique vocal style has made each of his albums different from any other music I've heard. White Trash Beautiful is no exception; a good mix of ballads and rock songs, with a few hip-hop songs as well.

Highlights include Blinded by the Sun, Broken, This Kind of Lonely, Sad Girl and 2 Pieces of Drama. I didn't like Soul Music, The Warning, or Ticking Away (these are the more hip-hop tracks).

If you liked his first two releases, this album is sure to make you happy.

If you've never heard Everlast before, I'd recommend this as a good introduction to his style.

After quite a long break since his last album "Eat At Whitey's", Everlast came back in 2004, and he sure did it in style.

As always in case with Everlast, everything on the album is top quality. His vocals are still amazing, at times making you wonder whether he's singing or rapping at the moment. The music is an unbeliavable fusion of folk, country, blues and hip-hop. That's not even to mention the lyrics, which are great, and the overall integrity and replay value of the album.
All that easily makes "White Trash Beautiful" easily one the best releases of 2004 and there's no doubt that anybody who appreciates real music should pick this up.

The only thing that left me with mixed feelings on this album is the lyrics. I'm not questioning or dissing Everlast's talent by no means. It's just that the lyrics were perhaps too grim and pessimistic throughout the whole album, even in comparison to his previous work. That's not neccesarily a bad thing, just letting you know that you should not look for motivational or inspirational songs here.

That also makes this album not the best thing to start with, if you're new to Everlast. I suggest you listen to "Eat At Whitey's" and/or "Whitey Ford Sings The Blues" to get the best Everlast experience :).

In other words, listening to "White Trash Beautiful" while you're going through hard times is not the best idea :). Other than that, I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this album and it really deserves to be in your collection.

"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.