Artist: William Elliott Whitmore
Album: Ashes To Dust
Label: Southern Records
Tracks: 9
Length: 34:54
Review by: Phil Nichols

William Elliott Whitmore is a simple, southern storyteller. He was raised on a simple Mississippi horse farm to appreciate the simplicity of life, and he carries that simplicity through into Ashes To Dust, his second full-length album on Southern Records.

Imagine sitting on a porch on a small southern property and listening to a gravely-voiced old man telling you stories through songs played on a few select instruments – a guitar, a banjo, and some occasional percussion. Now imagine that the old man is actually a twenty-something, whose voice only sounds decades older than it is, and you have a pretty good idea of what Ashes To Dust has to offer. The song structures are not complex; the lyrics aren’t cryptic in any way: This is merely a simple recording of nine intimate tales told by a country gentleman. There are songs of death, songs of love, songs of hope, and songs of sadness. The opening track, “Midnight” finds Whitmore singing about feeling displaced, while the closing track is the story of William’s father and the dying farmer’s last request. The record proves to be a medley of life in rural America, depicting its ups and downs and allowing the listener to come along as Whitmore paints vivid pictures that bring his country home to life.

Essentially, Ashes To Dust is a record of basic guitar and banjo progressions that allow for the vocal delivery to bring the sound its rich country feeling. If you enjoy country music, or are a fan of Johnny Cash’s style of storytelling, then you will probably enjoy Whitmore’s newest creation. The record is not anything groundbreaking, but it is a pleasant harkening back to the past and it is refreshing to hear in light of some of music’s recent trends. If you are a fan of the genre then, by all means, give William Elliott Whitmore a listen.