Rebecca Angel: “For What It’s Worth” (2020) CD Single Review

This has been a hellish year, a nightmare that has included a pandemic, wildfires, floods, widespread unemployment, the ongoing horror of a racist and mendacious president, and the murders of black citizens at the hands of the police. The protests following the murder of George Floyd resulted in further police brutality, even against reporters, and displayed the systemic racism of our nation for the world to see. My girlfriend and I recently watched a film about the Trial of the Chicago 8 (often referred to as the Chicago 7 because defendant Bobby Seale was removed after a time), and she remarked that the footage of the police attacking protestors looked like it was shot today. Indeed. An earlier (and much better) film about the same trial, Conspiracy: The Trial Of The Chicago 8, uses the Buffalo Springfield song “For What It’s Worth” during the opening credits sequence. That song has often been thought of as an anti-war song, but it is actually about clashes between the police and demonstrators. It is certainly a fitting song to revisit now.

Rebecca Angel, a young vocalist that I first heard back in 2015 when she released a holiday single, “My Favorite Time Of The Year,” has recorded an excellent new rendition of “For What It’s Worth.” And the song has lost none of its power. Rebecca Angel gives it a bit of a funky edge, which is noticeable right from the beginning, and which works quite well. Her vocal performance is passionate and true. This isn’t the first time Rebecca Angel has addressed social issues in her music. Last year she released a song titled “Thoughts And Prayers,” which was about the ongoing gun violence problem in this country. In that song she sings, “People dying in the street/Have we lost humanity/How much more can we take/Pain and heartbreak.” It is clear the gun issue is important to her. You can hear it in her voice on this new track as she sings “There’s a man with a gun over there/Telling me I’ve got to beware.” This version also features the addition of trumpet, used in certain key moments, and some really nice percussion. Joining Rebecca Angel on this track are Jason Miles on keyboards, Dean Brown on guitar, Dennis Angel on trumpet, Reggie Washington on bass, Gene Lake on drums, Bashiri Johnson on percussion, and Maya Azucena on backing vocals. In the middle of the track, the musicians get a chance to jam, and that ends up being a really cool section. As our nation flirts dangerously with fascism, these lines are chilling as ever: “Paranoia strikes deep/Into your life it will creep/It starts when you’re always afraid/Step out of line/And they’ll come and take you away.”  

CD Track List

1. For What It’s Worth

For What It’s Worth is scheduled to be released on October 26, 2020.