Wrong-eyed Jesus! (Repress): Vinyl LP

Wrong-Eyed Jesus! or The Mysterious Tale of How I Shouted Wrong- Eyed Jesus! is a true story by Jim Whiteit was also the title of his debut album, which established White as a phenomenal maverick talent of alt country music when it was released in 1997, 25 years ago. But were not going to spoil the story for you here. For that youll have to get the 25th anniversary edition with Whites otherworldly tale on the inside of the gatefold.

Raised in Pensacola, Florida, a town crushed between the church and heroin, White was at one time a druggie, a Pentacostal, a fashion model, a New York taxi driver, a drifter, a pro-surfer, a photographer, and a filmmaker whose music became the conduit for all the stories he collected along the way.

Steeped in the influence of Flannery OConnor and Tom Waits, Wrong- Eyed Jesus revealed White as a spiritual anatomist, reaching deep into the underbelly of the American South. It was quickly acclaimed as an idiosyncratic masterpiece of outer space alt.countrya classic of the newly burgeoning sadcore scenewhich amused the Southern songwriter to no end.

For 20 years Id written these dark little songs, he said. Every once in a while Id play them for someone and theyd shout, Stop! That sucks so bad it makes my ears pop! Then a thing called alt country came along and, boom, all of a sudden everyones hollering Jim, youre a friggin genius! I mean, what happened???

Twenty-five years after the fact, its a lot easier to recognize what happened. (By the way, if you havent seen his BBC documentary, Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus, an award-winning road-movie exploring Southern culture, do.) Now living in an old farmhouse in the backwoods of Georgia, White continues to be a highly original voice in the immense Southern gothic tradition. When broken humanity aches for grace, music like his may give you a shot at redemption.

Tracklist:
SIDE A
1 Book Of Angels
2 Burn The River Dry
3 Still Waters
4 When Jesus Gets A Brand New Name
5 Sleepy Town

SIDE B
1 A Perfect Day To Chase Tornados
2 Wordmule
3 Stabbed In The Heart
4 Angel-Land
5 Heaven Of My Heart
6 The Road That Leads To Heaven