An Education With Every Spin
Well, what to say first. Adam Brodsky is new to me. Brodsky is not bluegrass, not folk, not whatever. He is promoted as the "anti-folk" singer. He is the Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie of today. I am a strong Dylan/Guthrie fan. I am now a very strong Brodsky fan. Can't wait to see him live. You have to listen to this CD three or five times before the genius actually sinks in.
The "Talkin' Candy Bar Blues" by Peter Paul and Mary has always been my favorite song. What a testimony it was to the crap we are asked to put up with every day in the '60s. Brodsky's Hookers, Hicks and Heebs is replete with a slap at the day-to-day cow dung we face. Hicks refers to the tune "Lately Your Picking," which is a light poke at Bluegrass. Heebs speaks to the "Talkin' Warsaw Ghetto," which is a melancholic look at 1939 and the German occupation, not to mention a pithy testimonial to the tragedy of mankind. "Thank You" says "you know we had sex, you don't know we made love." And "Uncivil Rights" - "we must give up our freedom to preserve our liberty"- is a classic protest of our current political situation. Probably best reflects America's current commitment to destroy the innocent people in the Middle East - oh I forgot we are just breaking a few eggs (innocent humans including our own sons and daughters) to make an omelet (kill Saddam).
Well, I can't hide the fact that I am into this CD. Old hippie, I suppose. But Brodsky's sentiments should be heard today. This is history in song. I could use this CD as a textbook for a college course. If you want to challenge yourself, take a listen - three or five times. Every time is a new experience.