"I didn't approach it differently, I just kind of used a greater variety of instruments, and denser arrangements," he explains. "Of course, hip-hop remains an important influence on my music, but not everything I do fits under that category."

The new album, his first since 2004's Island/Def Jam release White Trash Beautiful, was co-produced by Everlast with his longtime partner Keefus Ciancia ("He's a real brainiac when it comes to vintage grooves"). Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford is the logical sequel to his 1998 breakthrough, the multi-platinum Whitey Ford Sings the Blues, an eclectic mix of rock, blues, country, pop and hip-hop, which cracked the Billboard Top 20 and sold more than 3 million copies on the strength of its crossover hit, "What It's Like." - Check his Myspace for the latest

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