Ry Cooder is a legend of American music having a career that spans over 40 years. He has worked with musicians including Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Warren Zevon, Arlo Guthrie, Catain Beefheart, Randy Newman and the Rolling Stones, and has also won several Grammy awards.
Musically he has a very diverse career spanning blues, folk, rock, country as well as world music, including The Buena Vista Social Club, and has worked with musicians from as far afield as Africa and India.
The album kicks off with a biting satirical look at bankers in ”No banker left behind”. There’s a simple but surprisingly catchy tune to accompany the cutting lyrics – e.g. ”with champagne and shrimp cocktails, and that’s not all you find, there’s a billion dollar bonus, and no banker left behind”.
”Dirty Chateau” looks at the trials of latino immigrants.
”John Lee Hooker for president” really captures the sound of John Lee Hookers songs, both guitar-wise and vocally in fact it could almost be a John Lee Hooker song, so well has Ry Cooder captured his spirit here.
”Christmas time this year” is a very deceptive song – it has a very jolly up-tempo mexican sounding tune, but the lyrics are a strongly anti-war song, clearly written while George Bush was still president.
The album is extremely varied with the only predictable thing about each song being the brilliance of the songwriting and performance.
The album is available now and is a fantastic album that Ry Cooder fans will thoroughly enjoy.
Track listing:
1. No Banker Left Behind
2. El Corrido de Jesse James
3. Quick Sand
4. Dirty Chateau
5. Humpty Dumpty World
6. Christmas Time This Year
7. Baby Joined the Army
8. Lord Tell Me Why
9. I Want My Crown
10. John Lee Hooker for President
11. Dreamer
12. Simple Tools
13. If There’s a God
14. No hard feelings
