Eat at Whitey's Everlast Tommy Boy, 2000   Buy it online Tracks 1: Whitey 2: Black Jesus 3: I Can't Move 4: Black Coffee 5: Babylon Feeling 6: Deadly Assassins 7: Children's Story 8: Love For Real 9: One And The Same 10: We're All Gonna Die 11: Mercy On My Soul 12: One, Two 13: Graves to Dig Reviewed by Lincoln Cho	I love a being part of a world where musicians can get into shouting matches with each other. Where "artists" can use their "art" to express their displeasure or disgust with one another. It may sound like I'm being ironic, but I'm not. Really. I think it's dead cool. Take the case of Eminem and Everlast, for instance. A couple of talented white dudes both rapping in a field not known for such. On the B-side of Eminem's single D-12, the bad boy rapper took a crack at Everlast in "I Remember." I went to get your shit Man I was into it But then you took your style and switched shit Now you sound ridiculous Eminem takes a run at Everlast for his age (he's 31) and the heart condition that hasn't done much to help his output, but it is this stanza that is at the heart of Eminem's disgruntlement: the changing style that has seen Everlast, who was born Erik Schrody in 1969, move from being the driving force behind Irish rap act House of Pain at the beginning of the 1990s to the seminal acid blues on Whitey Ford Sings the Blues, and his latest album, Eat at Whitey's. Though Everlast's evolution may be cause for Eminem's contempt, Everlast fans have thus far been enthusiastic of the growth this artist has undergone. Eat at Whitey's is the strongest and perhaps most different thus far. Seemingly taking a page from Santana's superlative Supernatural of 1999, on which many artists -- Everlast among them -- were a part, Eat at Whitey's features vocal and musical contributions from artists as diverse as B-Real, Rahzel, Merry Clayton, N'Dea Davenport, Cee-Lo, Warren Haynes, Kurupt and Carlos Santana himself, returning the favor on "Babylon Feeling," a moody, blues number that occasionally spirals into straight-up progressive rock. "Babylon Feeling" features Everlast's smokey vocals and Santana's inimitable guitar playing. It's an irresistible combination. The album moves from hardcore rap, such as "Deadly Assassins," which features B-Real, to the hip-hop flavored "Children's Story," on which Rahzel's album credit is for, "incredible things." Not surprisingly, Eat at Whitey's hits its acid blues stride on "Love For Real," which features the powerful vocals of N'Dea Davenport, who -- not coincidentally -- has lent those same vocals to just about every acid jazz album worthy of the title. About all she adds to "Love For Real," are those very words, repeatedly, in the chorus. But it's enough: her jazz-drenched soprano over Everlast's smokey blues dude's voice just feels good on your ears. In some ways, the first single off the album, "Black Jesus," defines Eat at Whitey's. Here Schrody's rhymes slide into an effortless sounding jazz/blues meter while strong guitar work seems to push "Black Jesus" occasionally toward classic rock feel only to have some serious doo-wops, courtesy James Gilstrap, Kevin Dorsey, Philip Ingram and Dorian Holley, change the feeling entirely once again. What emerges, through "Black Jesus," and, as a whole, from the entire album, is something fairly undefinable. Something entirely new. If it must be defined, call it acid blues: though that label doesn't exist. At least, it didn't until now. | November 2000 Lincoln Cho is a musician and freelance writer.	Not surprisingly, Eat at Whitey's hits its acid blues stride on "Love For Real," which features the powerful vocals of N'Dea Davenport, who -- not coincidentally -- has lent those same vocals to just about every acid jazz album worthy of the title. About all she adds to "Love For Real," are those very words, repeatedly, in the chorus. But it's enough: her jazz-drenched soprano over Everlast's smokey blues dude's voice is like water for chocolate: it feels good on your ears.