Sean Whiting: High Expectations
If you need to shake the dust out of the rafters, put on the 2019 album, High Expectations, from Sean Whiting and turn it up. Born in West Virginia and raised in eastern Kentucky, this veteran musician and powerhouse vocalist will leave you in awe. I first discovered Sean about a year and a half ago through a Facebook post of fellow Kentucky singer-songwriter, Jen Tackett. I promptly went in search of his music to see what the rave was all about. I believe, “Oh, shit” were the words I uttered in satisfying surprise of what I heard. I started following him and later learned that he would be releasing a sophomore album in the spring of 2019. Fast-forward to this past May when we were gifted with High Expectations.
Whiting’s musical journey began at a very young age and was sculpted by the influence of his grandfather, who was a musician himself. On many occasions, Sean joined his grandfather at gigs or jam sessions with area musicians. Playing the drums and singing by the age of five and honing his guitar skills in his teens, Sean even developed a love for the trumpet in his later years. For the majority of his adulthood, Whiting played in regional cover bands and carried a full-time job in the coal mining and trucking industries. He has since turned making music into his full-time career, and the fans are reaping the benefit of it.
The first bullet out of the chamber on the High Expectations album packs a serious punch. The album’s lead-off track, “Just the Same,” immediately introduces you to the vocal strength and power Sean possesses. The gritty, dirty blues riffs from the lead guitar mastered by David Prince add to the intensity of this tune. The lyrics describe one’s feelings not changing despite the fall-out of a relationship and the attempts to forget about the past.
Following “Just the Same,” but taking a softer, groovier, and more melodic approach is, “Oh Well.” Just as the title assumes, the song touches on the classic platitude of “rolling with the punches” and making the best of unsavory situations. Whiting’s somber baritone really sets the mood for this track.
Taking it back up a notch on track number three, “Top of the World” gets your blood pumping. You really get a sense of Sean’s classic rock influences, from ZZ Top and the Allman Brothers. I can only imagine that when this song is being performed live, that the feeling of being on “top of the world” is exactly what Whiting and his bandmates are experiencing.
Slowing it down a bit to a couple of my personal favorites are “Melody” and “The Happy Song.” Both songs are a tender and deeper emotional side to Whiting’s songwriting. Melody has a more ethereal tone that really draws you in. “Waiting for the words to come/ Patiently ‘til the song is done/ Haunting me is a melody/ Aching for the world to see…” “The Happy Song” is a beautiful dedication to his wife, who he credits as the reason he is able to live out his dream. “Loving me is no easy task/ Rest assured that its a love that’ll last/ Baby please, don’t fret a thing/ When I see your smile, I hear angels sing…”
In a tongue-in-cheek style country song, Sean switches gears with “S.O.B.” The song is a loosely-based fictional account of a night filled with bad decisions. It was written in jest with no serious intention of going on an album, but Whiting decided to run with it anyway. This track is what gives the album its “E” for explicit lyrics label. Because when you’re talking about drunken debauchery, it’s best described with profanity. It’s one of my favorite guilty pleasure songs of all-time and I’m so glad he recorded it.
This latest release includes 10 original songs that provide a roller coaster of musical and lyrical variety. The album was recorded at Fat Baby Studios in Whitesburg, Kentucky - home of Kenny Miles who recorded, mixed, and mastered the final product. Sean Whiting and his crew, comprised of David Prince on lead and rhythm guitars, Chris Justice on bass, and Hayden Miles on drums, take you on a journey of Americana, rock, and blues. High Expectations is the first release for Whiting on Eastwood Records. JJ Waters did a great job of capturing a more personal side to Sean by using a semi-truck for the album artwork.
Sean Whiting can be found playing all over the Appalachian region on over to the Midwestern plains. You can purchase his music and merch, plus follow his tour schedule at www.seanwhiting.com.
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All Photos By Melissa Stillwell:
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Album Art By JJ Waters of Honky Tonk Heroes: