| r e v i e w s CD Reviews
Places Listening To Kip White sing his songs on his new CD Places is a lot like having a deep and prolonged conversation with your best friend, or maybe an old high school buddy, that you haven’t seen in a lifetime. In short, it’s a thoughtful and rewarding experience that includes a myriad of emotions, from profoundly personal introspection to howling laughter. White develops an interesting theme through the course of the CD by relating the stages of life and growth to various geographic locations, hence the title. The result is a CD that you won’t rush through or relegate to the background, but rather it is one to savor and enjoy with the CD jacket and lyrics in hand. White helps listeners explore the great themes of life such as love, faith, dreams, pain, reconciliation, and beauty. There is rich acoustic instrumentation on this recording that serves to augment its one-on-one intimacy. White employees a blend of finger style and flat pick strumming which has been well recorded and warmly mixed with his fine voice and the various other instruments such as the upright bass, mandolin, steel guitar and violin. The mellow music provides an excellent context for White’s poetic lyrics. Of the fourteen songs offered on the CD, listeners will be hard pressed to select favorites, because all of the songs are well written and speak of relevant themes. Every song is equally well produced with no sonic distractions. Places is a work of art that all music lovers, poetry lovers, and students of life will enjoy and should add to their collections. Ken Mowery, Indie-Music.com I received your "Places " CD. My problem is
that there are so many really good songs on it I don't know for sure which
ones to play. My favorite song on the CD, "Louisiana Morning", has already
been added to the rotation as has "Lonesome Tree". I will be playing "JBB's
Sushi Bar" on my live DJ show this Sunday night. Thanks for producing such
an excellent album. Other cuts from it will be rotated into the playlist
over the next few months. Kip, I listened to the CD intently and I think you are so blessed and such a lucky person to be able to express your thoughts and feelings about those things so beautifully. Through your guitar, music and songs you are able to give voice, wings, life to the most real and precious things that bang around inside the hearts and minds of the rest of us too, but seemingly cannot find the way out. And when those feelings do find the way to the light of day, they so often simply land with a flop or a thud... no beauty, no grace, no eloquence. When you sing, I see those places, I know those feelings, I see that sky, I hear that sound. Kevin, Dublin, CA Kip- I was very impressed
with the songwriting on "Places", different cuts for different moods I'm
sure to play more than once. The song "Chicken Coop" has such great
visualizations it makes people actually pucker & cringe--they sure won't
forget that laugh soon! Kip White, who is new to our list (FolkDJ-L), is not new to my show. I have been playing Kip's music for a couple of years now. He has a new CD out, and it is great! I highly recommend Kip's new CD "Places". Terry Sikoryak, DJ host of “Ain’t Misbehavin Folk Show” - WYRS, NJ Kip, we love the CD you
sent. Just wanted to thank you for your CD. We played the first cut today on
“The Acoustic Edge.” Would you consider sending the rest of your CD’s?
Kip, I don't recall acknowledging receipt of "Places"....just now got around to listening & I want to thank you for music well done. If you ever find yourself headed my way (St. Louis, MO), please give a holler. A house concert here could be in your future. Would also be interested in earlier work, if you're interested in sending anything you want me to have access to. Thanks again! Clint Harding, DJ Host/Producer, "Blue Highways" - KDHX St. Louis, MO
'Til
the Light His line in our publication states that Kip sings “…songs touching on the eternal." The Lakewood based singer/songwriter writes songs about finding yourself through understanding and seeking a higher spirit. Whether singing about the broken body of a young man falling from a roof and breaking his back being “the picture of grace” in “Bobby’s Gonna Dance” or the pure wonderment of life and the beauty one can find for themselves as suggested in the song “Alien,” each song has the message of receiving joy through finding the spirit. His guitar is center to the arrangements mixed with mandolin, organ, drums and electric guitar. I found this CD very well produced and arranged, the songs constructed smartly. His voice is a husky baritone, which tended to overpower on occasion. Kip has taken the time to carefully choose and finely mix each instrument into a mellow packet of tunes. If you like your music original, thoughtful and touching on the higher power, Kip White’s husky baritone voice and guitar playing might just be the spiritual lift for you. Stewart Levett, The Black Rose Acoustic Society Hi Kip, Just wanted you to know how nice it was to hear you again last night. It brought back lots of pleasant memories. I really like the new songs. Your new CD is awesome. Mixing and voices and instrumental additions are wonderful. Thanks. Sharon, Denver The CD's great, we couldn't wait to listen to it, and we weren't disappointed. My old favorite is "Til The Light". It's so great to be able to listen to it on a CD at last. Attila, Budapest Unspoken "I love the CD...If you ever have more instrumentals, I'd love to know." Amarillo fan "I can still picture Aubrey dancing in the sunlight coming through the windows." Spokane fan I'm listening to "Unspoken" right now, and I figured I'd try to find you on the Web to see if you had any new releases. You did! Thanks for continuing to do what you do. Mike, Tallahassee Concert Reviews
John, ...Your friend Kip
was a delight to hear and I am so grateful that he has been in your life.
Your strong desire for folks to show up was unusual and I am so glad I went
to meet your friend and take away such a fine audio travelogue. A voice can
transport us to places that hard images seem to miss. I believe it is the
time thing that the ear hears and the eye misses. In a comfortable crescent
of burgundy covered chairs we stare at a generous stage where a tall man
with a comfortable weight of years has followed a path of powerful rigidly
straight parallel cables onto center stage. Kip White west Texas ranch child
now grown and living in the Colorado high country. Kip starts with a guitar
solo and lyrics from a place he wants to share with us. And with that simple
song we are drawn this night on a number of journeys through story and song.
Kip's band is a collection of friends, all musicians of long acquaintance
that have other gigs. A keyboard, a mandolin and rhythm guitar, a bass, and
an interesting percussion collection are arranged in two parallel lines.
This is a fixed place performance. And yet within this tight visual
framework Kip takes us to the Bayou, the West Texas lone tree land, the high
Colorado canyon country and even to a Sushi Restaurant run by a fishing
friend of his. Places, the framework of our friendships is the theme of
Kip's new CD. And this journey covers the sweet crescent of time and place.
We ride at dawn on waters dark with a fallen friend... to see the day begin.
This was my favorite piece more spoken than sung but it transported us all
quite comfortably to our own early morning moments at a body of water.
Kyle, I just wanted to thank you both for a really wonderful evening. Ronnie
said he couldn’t remember when he had enjoyed himself so much. Kip was
wonderful and we have listened to his [CDs] all weekend. Thanks again for
inviting us. Here is the recipe for the cake… Kip…We enjoyed your concert very much as well. We have received so much feedback that was positive that we look forward to your return for another go around. As a matter of fact Ed and Fran P. are here now getting their haircut from Charity and they went on and on about your performance. I will try and set something up with them later in the year or early next year if you would like to do so. Larry South, 2004 house concert host, Pueblo, CO Kip,
Joan and I went to your concert and we thought you were terrific. We really
enjoyed the concert. Keep us on your email list. Thanks for a great evening. Hi,
Kip, I so enjoyed your concert last night - I am in awe of your talent!
Beyond the Cave was wonderful too... made for a very enjoyable evening! What a great evening you and your friends gave us last night. Denver and I were so happy to know you better. 2000 concert for CD release of 'Til the Light What a treat to get to know you a bit when you were here. People are still talking about your time with us. Dick & Judy Avery, 1999 house concert host, Spokane, WA |