VARIOUS ARTISTS:
Songs And Artists That Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11 (Epic)

VARIOUS ARTISTS:
Tell Us The Truth (Artemis)

AL FRANKEN:
The O' Franken Factor Factor (Artemis)
Reviewed by John Sekerka

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(Note: the following was written just before the U.S. Presidential election.)

It's hurricane season in Florida so you know the election is right around the corner. And because folks inexplicably seem to be willing to re-elect the grandest buffoon that ever sleep-walked through the White House, artists have come out in droves to slap some sense into middling America. First up is the epic from Epic that features political blow hards Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, The Clash and uh, the Dixie Chicks. Songs about war, freedom and revolution seem like a good idea, but you have Justin Timberlake on board as well. Oh well. The "Tell Us The Truth" concert, a smaller scale project that works well as a whole, features prominent political preachers like Steve Earle (yet again) and Billy Bragg, and presents it in a homey, town hall, ensemble setting. The music is so good, mostly in the rootsy folk blues vein, that the message is just a bonus. As a special treat Lester Chambers leads in a fitting updated version of "Time Has Come Today." It's like the sixties all over again, man. Then there's our favourite political pundit Al Franken, he of the witty jabs and jibes. This may be the non-dance album of the set, but it can still be a party record. Collecting killer bits from his biting show on Air America radio, "The O' Franken Factor" is an SNL style audio sketch compilation with a calm, congenial host, delicately carving up the Bush administration with a razor sharp wit. Of course the funny thing is, that most of this hilarious stuff really isn't very funny. Get it?

© 2004 - John Sekerka