I bought this on Valentine's Day 2002, after reading a series of good reviews. It's catchy, it presses all the right alt.country buttons (a bit of bluegrass-style picking, references to Mississippi, rusted out cars etc), and the arrangements and production and bursting with ideas.
I like it, but I don't love it. I saw Jim White play at the Sheffield Barfly at the end of April 2002, and again in the much larger Royal Festival Hall when he was supporting his label boss David Byrne two years later. Jess told me he was better on an earlier tour when he played with a full band, but both times I saw him he was solo, accompanied by an extended box of tricks (drum machines etc). I wasn't entirely convinced. That haunted quality that Alasdair Roberts has (see yesterday) — I didn't think Jim White had it.
Also, last year, I made an exception to my no-TV lifestyle to see a film that featured Jim White heavily: Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus (official site; BBC4 link). Again it had universally good reviews. I thought it was cliché-ridden shit, turned it off after 20 minutes, and couldn't help but feel that Jim White was partly responsible.
 MusicBrainz entry for this album
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