He opens this one with “Seeds
Of A Revolution,” a good and timely song dealing with immigration, its first
several lines delivered a cappella. This one has a positive-sounding pop vibe. “The tender kiss that freedom brings belongs
to everyone.” That’s followed by “All Dressed Up And No Place To Go,” a song
that is so bloody fun. It’s one you might find yourself singing before too
long, at least the title line, which is sung by backing vocalists. “The president’s starrin’ in a new game show
(All dressed up and no place to go)/Santa Claus is singing out ‘Ho ho ho’ (All
dressed up and no place to go).” This song had me smiling, even laughing at
various lines like “Plato on a date-o
with a beautiful blonde.” There are some dire lines too, such as “The Arctic ice is sinkin’ low… say it ain’t,
say it ain’t, say it ain’t so.” But while registering the message in your
brain, you probably won’t lose your smile, and all the while, you’ll be dancing
around. You know, sometimes it feels like we’re dancing into oblivion. “Where we’re headed, baby, I don’t know.”
“Don’t” comes on strong, with a
punk energy and attitude that I appreciate even more than usual these days. “Don’t let the fuckers kill your buzz.” The
first time I put on this disc, I kept turning up the volume. The second track
demanded a bit more volume than the first. And then this third song needed even
more volume. Though my voice shouting along added to it, I’m sure. You’ll be
shouting along too. The repetition of “They
do it all for the money” is more apt than ever. This is a great song. Then Willie Nile gives
us “Earth Blues.” As bad as a lot of social issues are, perhaps the most
important issue is the destruction of the environment. After all, if we don’t
have an environment, civil rights and reproductive rights are going to be
irrelevant. Here is a perfect, angry anthem that should be constantly played on
a boom box by someone following that asshole Scott Pruitt through his every
hour until the bastard either becomes human or does himself in. Seriously, who lives
near Pruitt? Get this album, and play this song on repeat at extreme volume directly
at him, night and day, at work and at home. When you need a rest, hand it off
to someone else. “Sorry earth, sorry
planet, some people here just don’t get it/Sorry sun, sorry moon, there’s gonna
be trouble comin’ soon.”
“Children Of Paradise,” the
album’s title track, is another strong song with something to say. “Say a prayer for the children of paradise/Born
naked in a world of fire and ice/Sing a song for the little ones/As they blow
their horns and they beat their drums.” Maybe I’m mad, but this serious pop
tune feels like a hit to me. I haven’t listened to hit radio in decades, but if
there is any sense to things still, this song should be popular. We’ll see, I
suppose. It was written by Willie Nile and Martin Briley. Willie Nile then turns
to more of a folk sound for “Getting’ Ugly Out There,” in which he sings “It’s getting ugly out there/It’s getting
darker, I swear.” Yup. This is what most of us feel. “I turned on my TV to watch some news/Saw big shots arguing, spoutin’
their views/Saw a child refugee drowned on the seashore/I had to turn it off, I
couldn’t take it anymore.” When is this horror show going to end? When will
the healing begin? Every day it seems that the troubles are increasing, that
people are getting uglier and stupider. Each step down this dark road is
another we’ll someday have to fight our way back from. “If the people ever knew what was really goin’ on/There’d be another
politician who’d be dead and gone.” I’m tired of being angry, and I don’t
like feeling hatred toward anyone, but I sincerely wish that Donald Trump and
his entire regime and all his supporters would drop off the face of the earth.
Enough already.
“I Defy” has something of a
lighter pop sound at the beginning, but then kicks in with a great punk energy.
Oh yes! “I never want to be in your
society/You can try but you’ll never hang on a name on me/No, I don’t want to
be what you want me to be/I’m never gonna light up like a Christmas tree.”
This one was written by Willie Nile and Frankie Lee. Willie Nile then gives us
a sweet song, a love song, a song to make us feel that perhaps things will be
okay, “Have I Ever Told You.” Yes, it’s like Willie Nile sensed that at this
point in the album we’d need something like this, a reminder of the better
things in life. “My hands stop from
shaking ‘cause baby I’m holding you now.” Beautiful, right? This is what is going to
pull us through this mess – being with the people we love. Holding, and being
held. And he follows that with another love song, “Secret Weapon.” “I feel you close even when we are apart/You
give the kind of love that’s real and turn it into art/You’re the secret weapon
in my heart.” And these lines are perhaps the most important reminder we
can hear now: “Bombs and guns, they can
destroy when in the hands of a fool/But you and I, this girl and boy, are not
here to be cruel.” I don’t want to let my hatred of Donald Trump destroy
whatever might be good inside me. It’s difficult. But music and my girlfriend’s
hand on my skin will pull me through. I hope every one of you has a secret
weapon too.
I really like that line about
love being art in “Secret Weapon.” And then in “Lookin’ For Someone,” the line
that stands out for me is also about art: “I want to be a painting, I don’t want to be a sketch.” This song,
which was written by Willie Nile and Andrew Dorff, has a sweet vibe. That’s
followed by “Rock ‘N’ Roll Sister,” a rock tune that mentions CBGB, The Kinks
and The Clash. This is a celebration of that woman who seems to be living on
rock and roll. From my earliest experiences at rock concerts, I became aware of
this person, drawn to her, and I am still happy whenever I see her at a show.
The album then finishes up with “All God’s Children,” a gentle song delivered
on piano. Yes, he gives us a pretty and uplifting and hopeful song to conclude what is one of the best albums I have heard so far this year.
CD Track List
- Seeds Of A Revolution
- All Dressed Up And No Place To Go
- Don’t
- Earth Blues
- Children Of Paradise
- Gettin’ Ugly Out There
- I Defy
- Have I Ever Told You
- Secret Weapon
- Lookin’ For Someone
- Rock ‘N’ Roll Sister
- All God’s Children
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