Album Review: Ian Whitty and The Exchange, Cash Crop

It took eight years for Ian Whitty to gather enough experience to write Cash Crop. Stories of finding and losing love, fighting against the world – and the ridiculous rules defining it – combined with a healthy dose of melodic Americana, make for an album of genuine heft.
Strangely, opener ‘Bottom Line’ feels quite uplifting, while the title track is a superb tune with exceedingly sharp lyrics, hinting at the phenomenon of people who prefer to live their lives on social media: “So I sleep and I work and I eat/ Then I put my life on the net.”
Ian Whitty has the extraordinary gift of writing poignant lyrics, wherein everybody can find a glimpse of themselves. He has a knack for describing different periods in life, whether it’s the celebration of young love in ‘Tattoo Rings’, or the unwillingness to face up to falling apart in ‘Tragedy Bound’. Everyone has experienced these emotions and it takes a songwriter like Ian to put it into words.
Closing song ‘Count To Ten’ leaves you with a sense of hope and a lust for life. The moment the song ends you press repeat, because you’re getting slightly addicted to the feelings Ian Whitty’s lyrics evoke.