Chris Whitley's Din of Ecstasy

Author's note, 1998: the buzz on Chris Whitley generated by Living With the Law has diminished now, although he is still gigging and recording. In retrospect, this review of Din of Ecstasy, the follow up to Living with the Law, marks his departure from the critics' hot list. I did twist the knife a bit, but don't blame me for Whitley's struggles, for some reason this review was never published, until now. JR

Chris Whitley's Din of Ecstasy is one of the more hotly anticipated follow up recordings of 1995. Whether it will receive the same praise as Living With The Law (1993) depends largely on our willingness to put up with Whitley's narcissistic self-indulgence.

Living With The Law was a seamless set of neo-traditional blues-rock that somehow defied the odds and sounded twangy and fresh. Whitley made us believe that a slide guitar cowboy with a sly drawl was somehow an innovative idea, an image he created. The edgy Hendrix influence and the vocal versatility helped to set him apart. But it was Whitley's painstaking attention to his songwriting, combined with a welcome dose of too-smart-to-be-macho manliness, that made Whitley a welcome 90s anomaly.

On Din of Ecstasy, Whitley dwells on the lyrical vulnerabilities that were so confidently concealed on his debut, and ironically he was much better at throwing drinks at the pain than he is at confiding. On Din of Ecstasy, Whitley lays himself bare. "I ain't got no pride in my pants, I ain't go no poise or plans," he sings, and he's said too much.

Gone are the singularly distinct songs of the debut. Whitley's stream-of-consciousness lyrics and wandering guitar distortions are a deliberate slap in the commercial face. Despite the promise of the opening track, "Narcotic Supper," Din of Ecstasy's abstract monotony finally poses a serious attention span problem for the listener. Snubbing Top Forty potential is usually something to respect, but in this case Whitley goes too far.

"A hand grenade in the foxhole of critical expectations," gloats Whitley's publicists about Din of Ecstasy. In the grenade's aftermath, Whitley has certainly freed himself from critical expectations - and a good portion of his fan base as well. Many artists do their best work after declaring this kind of freedom (Lou Reed, Bob Dylan), but only after they realize that there is a middle ground between catering to your fans and playing with yourself.

-JR-