The world is at a turning point, some would say at a precipice.
In this context, being at a fork in a metaphorical road is an optimistic standpoint. Born in New York but raised in Akron in the swing state of Ohio, this is where Tim Easton is at.
The two directions he sings about either take us back in time or envisage a less than ideal future.
He reminds us that, once upon a time, there was a widespread belief that Rock'n'Roll could effect change and a universal recognition that the roots of this 'devil's music' lay with bluesmen.
Tim Easton harks back to the past and draws a sharp distinction between the rebels and active game changers like Elmore James and today's "armchair non-conformists" who believe that mindlessly Killing Time is a cool lifestyle choice.
The principle target in these eight songs is apathy. In Right Before Your Own Eyes, the blame is laid firmly at the door of social networks who are slowly destroying real time communication. He advocates resisting the temptation to engage in chatter or waste time staring at a computer screen.
|
These are therefore protest songs in the folk tradition but he also finds space to close with the touching On My Way, a lullaby to his 5-year-old daughter.
The newness here lies not in musical or lyrical innovation but in the fact that Easton is squaring up to the modern world rather than getting lost in a time warp.
Tim Easton's website
|
