Produced, programmed, and played solely by himself, The Private Spotlight proves T. H. White is, to say the least, musically schizophrenic. Bouncing back and forth between the mellow, the electronic and the abrasive, the album can be hard to digest at times, but never boring.
Vocalist Megan Wolf introduces the album with the shiny “Private People”, crooning “Time to get down” with all the saccharine sweetness of a migraine. It's a rough start to the album, but she brings the aspirin later with the soothing, string-laden “Separations”. In fact, it seems that the slower and spacier the song, the better White fares; his faux-rap style on “Katie Starr of Silver” feels aurally offensive, whereas the click-driven “Blue & Cream” is a versatile backdrop for any party setting.
“Separations”, the standout track on this album, captures the middle-of-the-road and settles gently into an ambient, chanting flow reminiscent of classic Spiritualized. The sentiment repeated is a simple “I want to be with you,” and strikingly, it's that very simplicity which makes the track compelling.
