Outsider
© Copyright-Donald Witt
(659696201828)
Record Label: Donnie Witt
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The album begins with an acoustic guitar, harmonica roar as Witt's opening lyrics set the tone for the album going straight after pop culture "Celebrities chase an image that can't be replaced. We hold them so high with thoughts that they'll always be great"...”But the human spirit was never built that way”.
"Outsider" is a folk rock achievement in both musicianship and the craft of songwriting. The album follows a theme of counterculture, painting a musical picture of a loner among the masses, courageously expressing ideas with little regard to commercialized interests. Social and political themes of liberty call throughout. In today’s music place Witt rocks and mocks the corporate world of MTV, VH1, and pop music in general.
Donnie’s harmonica dances around the song with him on “Outsider To The City”, where his poetry and lyrics have never been so heartfelt or well grounded on previous efforts. “It’s not the same in the city as it feels back home, people are so busy they have too many places to go, the bus stops and benches are all some seem to know, here things move fast, back home they move slow”...”Take me for granted, when I am here to fill space, take me as I am, cuz the thrill is in the chase, there I find myself, caught in stunning embrace, I didn’t realize, I could be so easily replaced”.
Poking fun at abusive love Witt’s “Crazy For You” brings a literal definition to the term and is the most catchy song on the album, while the following track “Drunken Hearted Woman” brings an original spin to drunken love that just cannot go wrong. “Out of Reach” a live recording captures the very essence of Witt’s ability to convey a message in a direct way you can relate to. He tells a story of a saddened lonely heart unable to properly express feelings in the right place at the right time.
There are two aggressive catchy spoken poems on this album that perpetuate Witt’s edgy manner in “Manic State” and “Writing On The Wall”. “I write on the wall to express my conclusions so that people can hear what I say without asking more”.
Picking an acoustic almost bluegrass stylized version of “Girl on LSD” Tom Petty can’t help but note the harmonica jam during the bridge and songwriter Daniel Johnston is seeing a “Bloody Rainbow” on this album well worth a listen.
Witt performs every instrument on this album, playing acoustic guitar, harmonica, bass, piano, percussion, vocals as well as mandolin on “Outsider To The World” the album’s closing track. The harmonica solo on this song alone is worth the price of the entire album. It is in this song that Witt pulls off harmonica notes that would make John Popper cry.
One may call this body of work “eccentric individualism” in the sense that Witt is leading the way in a new movement of outsider music. People across the world are ready for this, for those who grow tired of commercialized versions of bad cloned rock bands. So the next time you are driving home and a really bad pop song comes on the radio, put in Witt’s “Outsider” and be reminded of what it’s like to listen to a man and his acoustic guitar expressing true feelings to you, without a lust for the dollar behind it.
This is not just another acoustic album. This is a masterpiece.
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strange, moving, an emotional car wreck, BUY IT!
author: dave
Donnie's voice sounds like a cross between Bob Dylan and a weakened Neil Young, but much like Bob Dylan before him, it's the perfect vehicle for his material. On this album Donnie bares his soul -- listening to his music is like awkwardly being trapped with a stranger you run into, obviously a little off center, who rattles on providing too much information about his innermost feelings. But no other artist I have heard captures the angst of adolescence quite as well as Donnie, and his sense of melody, his ability to convey complex feelings with the simplest language, is brilliant.
Strange, moving, disturbing stuff, an emotional car wreck that you just can't look away from. If you like the off beat and stark emotional honesty in your music, check him out.
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Focused songwriting and fun
author: neilfuhrman
I'm a Donnie Witt fan, but I know what I like by the guy and what I don't. This is one album I like. I don't see him as a novelty or an oddball in the music-world; I take his musical offerings to heart and judge them according to my own tastes, filing them along with the rest of the history of music to which he belongs. I've listened to outsider a few times already, and, well, this is what I think of it. This album tells the story of a man who watches the world from a unique perspective. Donnie's voice is very unique. It is on this cd that he strains and pushes himself to a new level of songwriting. This is an essential album for serious fans and collectors of Donnie's music. I wouldn't know what to recommend as a good introduction to Donnie Witt. This is a good overall cd and probably has the highest quality recordings so far. "Delicate Ordinary Need" might also be a great starter -- the third song on that album, "Old Friend", is a classic Witt song and a great way to get introduced to him -- but outsider does have some elements that are not available in his other albums, which places it high on my list.
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The best work Witt has done
author: mickey
I think I heard it in a movie once that maybe the books we read choose us. This is the recollection I had when picking up Donnie's "Outsider" CD at a local music store. I really didn't know what to expect. Outsider was my introduction to this unbelievably eloquent lyricist. All 15 tracks were done by Witt and no one else. Listening to them made me feel like I had discovered a treasure chest of priceless feelings. In todays image and commercially driven music scene it's really difficult to think of anything that could compare with the creativity I heard on this album (CD). It would be wrong to point out which songs are the best on this album because every thing on here is GREAT!
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enthusiastic and humble at the same time
author: Alisha
This album captures a summer of musicality in the life of a young, unabashed songwriter. After first hearing about Witt on the internet, I was compelled to pick up some of his music. His work is extremely raw and revealing. There is a level of intimacy seldom conveyed in recorded music. It is not something that you would or could listen to constantly but it is powerful while you do. My emotional response when listening has ranged from outright joy to subtle embarrassment. Again, you will inevitably be taken aback by the vulnerability in the music, especially on tracks like "Outsider To The City" where Donnie speaks about being easily replaced and feeling erased in time. He has this mixed level of enthusiasm and sadness to his songsas if he were in his own world. Not for everyone but very important to some.
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