Just in time for election season, Ry Cooder released his 2nd album in two years, the aptly titled Election Special. As you might assume, this album is politically charged, from the ode to Mitt Romney’s dog “Mutt Romney Blues” to “Kool-Aid”, a song for “all the many Zimmerman’s” of the world. Where as his prior releases have him dabbling in genres such as mariachi and celtic music, Election Special presents Cooder revisiting his blues roots.“Take Your Hands Off It” and “Kool-Aid” group a classic blues sounds with big, slightly phased drums & “The Wall Street Part of Town” & “Guantanamo” could be mistaken for Spoon were it not for Cooder‘s iconic baritone. Cooder recently spoke with The Guardian about the album’s political content. When asked why the songs on this album diverge from those classic 1960’s political protest songs, Cooder said “I don’t know how to do that really.” So instead, Cooder sticks with what he knows on this album: pure blues.
Recommended Tracks: #3 “The Wall Street Part of Town”, #9 “Take Your Hands Off It”, #7 “Kool-Aid”, #1 “Mutt Romney Blues”
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Label: Nonesuch
