App Widget: Ripple effect lost on list item when background is added to outer layout

This thing is driving me crazy. Here's how it works

1. everything is set as default

• ripple effect works
• list view item separator is visible

2. white background added to the widget layout

• ripple lost
• list view item separator also gone
• looks like list item style has been removed

Here's the code

main widget layout

<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
              ...
              android:background="@android:color/white" -- this line only applies for case 2
              android:padding="@dimen/widget_padding">

    <TextView
        ...
        android:background="@color/primary"
        android:textColor="@android:color/white"/>

    <ListView
        ...
        android:drawSelectorOnTop="true""/>

    <TextView
        ...
        android:textColor="?android:attr/textColorSecondary"/>

</LinearLayout>

list item layout

<RelativeLayout
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    ...
    android:id="@+id/widgetItem">

    <TextView
        ...
        android:textColor="@android:color/black"
        android:textSize="14sp"/>

    <TextView
        ...
        android:textColor="@color/negative_amount"
        android:textSize="16sp"
        android:textStyle="bold"/>

</RelativeLayout>

I've spent a day trying all possible combinations but nothing helped. And I don't get the fact that unrelated background change to some layout around the list view completely alters the behaviour. WTF?

I would like to solve it in the cleanest way possible - e.i. no hacking with custom selectors. This should work straight out of the box if possible.