The sound is stripped back and DIY, with Cooder playing his own guitar, bass and mandolin to provide the barest foundation for his surprisingly jaunty vocals. First track Mutt Romney Blues takes a swipe at the Republican Candidate from the viewpoint of his mistreated dog. While the upbeat Brother Is Gone details Republic powerbrokers the Koch Brothers’ deal with the devil at the crossroads.
It’s all countrified blues and blue-grassy fun, but – like a mullet-, this record is party up the front, business out the back. For all the upbeat musicianship and sly playful lyrics, the bluesman is seriously, profoundly angry at the state of American Republicanism. The only gentle note on the record is the embattled blues lament of ‘Cold Cold Feeling,’ which follows Obama as he paces alone in the Oval Office. This record is raw, brilliant, angry, and very, very Cooder, right down to the notes from the artist that dot the press release. “Where did Mitt Romney Learn that hollow laugh of his? A correspondence course on how to scare you dog shitless? He sure scares me, I don’t mind telling you.”
BY LIAM PIEPER
Best Track: Cold Cold Feeling
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In A Word: Bluegrass The Newsroom.
