Videos by American Songwriter
This record could be subtitled “War and Peace,” for that’s the underlying theme. But though one could infer that this is very much an anti-war record, Wilson has largely chosen to draw on the past, seeking out favorite songs that still have resonance today.Label: ZOË
[RATING: 4]
This record could be subtitled “War and Peace,” for that’s the underlying theme. But though one could infer that this is very much an anti-war record, Wilson has largely chosen to draw on the past, seeking out favorite songs that still have resonance today.
Wilson’s been a recording artist for more than 30 years, so it’s strange to realize that this is her first solo album-even odder, perhaps, that she’s opted to do covers, when she’s a more-than-capable songwriter herself. She’s also invited along a bevy of guest stars, and doesn’t hesitate to rework a song to her tastes, so “Bad Moon Rising” becomes a lively backwoods stomper (with a harmony vocal from Gretchen Wilson). She teams with Elton John for a charged “Where to Now St. Peter?” and turns “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” into a mother/daughter lament with help from Wynonna Judd. Nonetheless, she’s best on her own (or with sister Nancy); check out the way she holds the word “insane” on John Lennon’s “Isolation” (her beloved Led Zeppelin gets a nod on “Immigrant Song”). Then there’s the closing track, her own “Little Problems, Little Lies,” the lament of a dying soldier, that fully brings home the gravity-and the insanity-of war.
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