William Elliott Whitmore

Iowa singer-songwriter William Elliott Whitmore’s ages-old voice, gritty delivery, and mix of gospel, blues, and folk have earned him comparisons to Tom Waits and Johnny Cash. His 2006 album, Song Of The Blackbird, continues in that vein, with a near-morbid fascination with death and sparse, rustic songs that exhale a sort of soulless nihilism. His 2009 disc, Animals In The Dark, brims with angry political sentiments and transcends its workmanlike folk template. The 2011 album Field Songs dials back that massiveness; accompanied by the chirping of crickets or birds, each song reins in Whitmore’s craggy, righteous howl, calming it with gentle strums and the weary plucking of acoustic guitar and banjo.

Updated 03/28/2012