Yep Roc

Pensacola, Fla. native Jim White’s Where It Hits You is a journey through personal and collective memory. White’s lyrics juxtapose homey images of lemonade against lonely tumbleweeds and rainy Saturdays, as the album meanders from gloomy narratives to upbeat hillbilly stompers. Sparse banjo, lightly jangled tambourine and forlorn brass conjure up Southern Gothic ghosts as per White’s signature metaphysical Americana style. There is a tangible sense of loss in the cathartic “The Way of Alone” and “Epilogue to a Marriage,” which gently address White’s recently dissolved marriage. The sprawling “The Wintered Blue Sky” is exemplary of the singer/songwriter’s experimental take on alt-country as well as his poetic prowess, as low piano notes lumber against muted strings and White’s plaintive voice.