CD REVIEW
Don White
“Live at The Guthrie Center”
On August 3, Lynn native/Classical High grad/folk singer Don White recorded his concert at The Guthrie Center in Great Barrington, a renovated church that was featured in the film “Alice’s Restaurant” and has hosted some of the world’s top musicians.
This recording shows White, who has released 10 albums and earned a national reputation as a clever singer-songwriter/storyteller/comedian, in top form. He’s certainly matured — though “matured” might not be the proper word to use when discussing White — from the carefree 1980s evenings when he and his buddies performed at those fondly remembered drunk fests at Post 6.
White’s off-kilter sense of humor remains strong. One can’t help but laugh when he’s singing about the futility of trying to have a conversation with stoners or when he’s comparing the nice people in Michigan to the not-always-nice people in his home state.
But, like Loudon Wainwright III and Greg Brown, there’s a humanness and an honesty to his story songs, a poignant and honest look at what it’s like to be a dad, a husband, a person who does his best to succeed. You might chuckle at his song about a friend’s grandma who often flashes back to her memories of attending the Woodstock music fest, but there’s also a sadness in that she considers it the highlight of her life.
And just when your stomach aches from laughing, White disarms with the melodically gorgeous “For the Loved Ones (Of the Lost Ones),” a powerful tale of those who have lost a family member or friend to addiction. A tribute to labor and hardworking union men and women who break their backs to make others wealthy while they struggle to feed their families is also spot-on.
It’s as a storyteller that White really shines. “Life Lesson From Larry” is an affectionate and gut-busting look back at his dad, Larry White, “a cigarette smokin’, red meat eatin’, 45 years at the General Electric as a rigger and a crane man” who grew up with nothing. You’ll roar as White mimics his dad’s gruff way of talking, and the hilarious way he shoots down his son’s petty complaints.
He shares his fondness for Betty Mae, his mother’s 82-year-old sister who was a flirt and a punk and had a lot more fun than me and you. His story about hitchhiking and moving to Maine with his wife as teenagers is funny and heartwarming. In “Breaking Up With My Muse” he talks about skipping school at age 15 to sit in Lynn Woods and read classic books; a weirdo who wrote poetry while sports heroes got all the glory. The inevitable apology to his creative muse is delightfully done.
White says that this will be the final CD he releases, because nobody buys CDs anymore. The show was videotaped; personally, I can’t wait to watch it on my VCR.
To buy, download or stream the album, go to http://www.donwhite.net/shop/
On Jan. 4, White will perform at Club Passim in Cambridge, a folk venue he’s played since the early ’90s.The gig will also serve as a CD-release event.
