Part Two of Jefferson Pepper's ambitious three album series has arrived. 'American Evolution' seeks to explore the themes of American (i.e. U.S.) history from 1492 to the present day and this 'white' part of the red, white and blue trilogy covers the years from 1941 to 1991.
The seventeen tracks - about 70 minutes of music - cover some major political events: World War Two, Vietnam and Three Mile Island are all dealt with. More than half the album, however, deals with less specific issues - social trends, if you like. From 'Real Good Time' and 'Disposable Me, Disposable You' which deal with the sudden burst of affluence in the 1950s, to the closing tracks 'Orphans of Endorphins' and 'Another White Line' which chronicle the rise of the hard drug culture in the 1980's and '90's, Jefferson Pepper's making a great effort to draw the big picture. Through all this subject matter, his common thread is the social hierarchy that always seems to have the same folk at the bottom of the pile, doing the dirty work, fighting the wars and being perennially confused by the golden future promised in the adverts never arriving for them.
This being his golden theme, some familiar observations crop up: 'One Percent' reminds us that 1% of the people own 50% of the wealth whilst 'Crucify' offers the unstartling possibility that if Jesus came to earth today 'With no wealth or power given him at birth, I'll bet they'd crucify him again'. I guess Jefferson's more interested in identifying the downsides of things than in shining a light on the good things in life, but that's fair enough. Even the celebratory 'Real Good Time', about the excitement at the birth of rock and roll, has a sardonic air: 'They tell me Beale Street is paved with gold, if we go there we're never gonna get old' - rock and roll as just another ad-man's glib promise.
The one answer he does offer to all the wickedness and duplicity in the world comes in 'Doin' It Right': 'It doesn't matter if you're the president or a farmer out in the field/ If you do your best at every test, we'll all have a better yield'. It's a simple homily and maybe it's a bit short on detail as political philosophies go, but you know where the man's heart is at.
The thing that is really appealing about his lyric writing is his ability to sketch a recognisably real-life situation that illustrates his larger point. His intent is obviously deeply earnest but is leavened with great affection for the characters in his songs and some gentle humour; 'The Ballad of Betty Wulfrum', for example, is a sharp attack on an American culture 'where your appearance determines your worth' but it is dressed in a wryly funny story.
|
As if this huge piece of work wasn't ambitious enough in it's lyrical content, there is a musical dimension to this journey through American history. It's not slavish, but the instrumentation and style is sometimes moulded to match the period conjured in the lyric. Given that Jefferson is clearly a country artist in his roots, 'One Percent', for example, is surprisingly reminiscent of Paul Hardcastle's 'Nineteen', whilst 'Orphans of Endorphins' and 'Another White Line' are both fair stabs at grunge-y punk. A good slab of the album has an atmosphere reminiscent of early 70's country rock but I'll freely admit I get the sense that there's plenty of references here that I'm not quite picking up on; folk with broader knowledge of American music in the last forty years might get plenty of fun pursuing the connections.
Though this is largely one man's gargantuan effort, Jefferson's roped in plenty of pals to help out; the playing is skilful and appropriate throughout and the hooks and the singalong bits are there but I don't intend to demean the music when I say that it leaves the impression of being amiable and unobtrusive. Sometimes songwriters put the words at the service of the music. Here it is most definitely the other way round as befits a project that is primarily about telling stories. Three cheers, then, for Jefferson Pepper's ambition; 'American Evolution' is recommended listening for anyone who cares to give a thought to where we've come from and where we're going.
(John Davy www.nessmp3.com/music/biscuitsandgravy)
|
