"Just Us Kids" by James McMurtry

Larry's son returns with another strong folk rock album containing even more political material than his last outing, the solid Childish Things. This time around, McMurtry takes on Bush even more directly with the powerful "Cheney's Toy" and the growling guitar lines and vocals of "God Bless America." The less political material features his usual strong storytelling and solid mid-tempo guitar grooves.

Side note: In an interview in the final issue of No Depression magazine, McMurtry admitted that he had originally planned to call this effort The Last Record Album in anticipation that e-music will soon cause the final demise of CDs. He was talked out of the idea by his teenage son. The reason? His son didn't think the title would help James escape the lifelong shadow of his famous father, whose 1966 novel was called The Last Picture Show.

Elton John is a Dingbat

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/latest/2008/04/10

Last night, British citizen Reginald Dwight inserted himself into our presidential campaign by holding a concert for Hillary and opening his trap to reveal what a first class idiot he is. Seems Mr. Dwight-John has figured out why Everybody Hates Hillary: misogyny. Here's a quote from the story:

John said there was no one more qualified to lead the United States into the next era. "Having said that, I never cease to be amazed at the misogynistic attitude of some people in this country. And I say to hell with them," he said, drawing cheers from the crowd at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan.

Sure, that must be it. Obama supporters hate women. Only possible explanation.

Cheap shot alert: no word on whether John opened his set by singing his old classic, "The Bitch is Back."

"Down Here" by Social Distortion

You work hard now...to put food on the table.

You're working for the man...who don't even know your name.

That's the way that it goes...

When you're down here with the rest of us.

"Something Left to Save" by the Hangdogs

The streetcar preacher says, "just have faith,"

He says, "Jesus comin' back to take us home someday."

But He's runnin' short on time.

And something left to save.

Sweet Sounds: "Color Them Blue" by Half Knots

Here's a band that doesn't get nearly the acclaim they deserve. The Half Knots produce sublime jangly guitar pop with just a hint of melancholy. Color Them Blue is the band's sophomore effort after their outstanding self-titled 2005 debut album.

Should you decide to try an itunes sample, highlight tracks include: "Footsteps," "Balance" and "When Are You Going Home." In truth, however, this album is a rarity these days in being strong all the way through. It creates a mood from the opening notes that never lets up.

Top 10 Hits for the Recession

I don't care what Chimpy says, as far as I'm concerned the recession has already started. So sell your remaining stake in Bear Stearns and (provided you had at least five shares) download from itunes ten of the finest rock songs about being down and out ever recorded:

1). "30 Year Low" - The Mendoza Line. Just released in 2007, this song's seamless lyrics sound like they were ripped right from the pages of the Wall Street Journal.

2). "Can't Make it Here" - James McMurtry. Angry Texas songwriter McMurtry (son of Lonesome Dove author Larry McMurtry) evokes images of a ruined economy and the Iraq War in this epic number.

3). "Allentown" - Billy Joel. Sure, Joel's a cheeseball, but this tale of rust belt America from the Reagan years seemed genuinely heartfelt.

4). "Rain on the Scarecrow" - John Mellencamp. Describes the other people who got screwed under Reagan...the farmers.

5). "Down Here (With the Rest of Us)" - Social Distortion. LA punk rockers serve up a vision of where the Bear Stearns traders will be tomorrow.

6). "Low Budget" - The Kinks. Who would have thought you could find humor in being poor?

7). "Broke" - Todd Snider. Another humorous ditty, this one about an unrepentant armed robber.

8). "If I Were You" - Chris Knight. Chilling first person account of a mugging from the mugger's perspective.

9). "Too Much Time on My Hands" - Styx. The champions of overwrought bombast reign in their excesses and show an actual spark of passion on this unemployment anthem.

10). "No Depression" - Uncle Tupleo. Cover of a Carter Family song from which both UT's debut album and No Depression magazine took their names.

"No Depression" Magazine Folds

The publishers of No Depression magazine, the only music rag to which I currently subscribe, announced that they are packing it in after the next issue in May. ND focused on so-called "alternative country" music, which covered everything from bluegrass to blues to mainstream rock. Not only was it a great source of information about new artists/music, the writing was always superior.

The publisher stated in an editorial that even though subscribership had remained steady, increased production and mailing costs combined with decreased advertising revenue were the reasons for the fold. For those interested in what it was all about, I've added a link to the ND website (free music downloads!) in the margin of this blog.

So long ND. You will be sorely missed.

"Cheney's Boy" - by James McMurtry

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If you haven't heard the new Bush bashing single from angry Texas songwriter James McMurtry, you can hear it and download it for free at the link above.

The lyrics really hit Chimpy where he lives: right in his silver-spoon, insecure, cowardly guts.