Musically there's not much wrong with this album by socially active singer/songwriter BILL MADDEN. It's mellow rootsrock with some folk and blues leanings that should make fans of PETE DROGE and FREEDY JOHNSTON quite happy. Mr. Madden has an enjoyable voice, a decent backing band and some strong songs like "Masterpiece" and "World Just Is". Having a social conscience doesn't have to get in the way of good music, as people like JOHN LENNON, BOB DYLAN and BRUCE COCKBURN have been proving for years. The way BILL MADDEN delivers his message however is a bit too heavy-handed for me, off-putting even.

"The masterpiece is your life", Mr. Madden states, and "...it's a world of random violence/arrogance and blindness/ambition and greed". Not to mention "...so I sit and follow my breath/and I pray/and I om tat sat". Really, Bill? Well, when singer/songwriters start overdoing their new age rhetoric, I stifle a yawn and go listen to something else. And if you must insist on wagging that finger in my face at least do it with a sense of humor, like ZAPPA, BIAFRA or author KURT VONNEGUT. Hell, even the aggressive lecturing of CHUCK D or HENRY ROLLINS is preferable over howlers like "...life is a surreal fest/in God's fine mess". That is of course not an option for this elitist treehugger, and apparently his idea of humor is putting a naked kiddie pic of himself on the cover. Ha-ha.

Hey, I don't necessarily mind billboards in my music, but Madden's lyrics have a kind of smugness about them that I don't much care for. When I want to listen to this kind of stuff I prefer BRUCE COCKBURN or BILLY BRAGG. They've got roughly the same positive message but are less high-brow about it. Like said, when you couldn't care less about the lyrics you've got yourself some nice mellow rootsrock. Nothing groundbreaking mind you, but decent. Otherwise this comes only recommended for people who think RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE are too right-wing

- Van Hoften

OFFICIAL SITE: www.billmadden.com

MP3 SOUND SCRAP: Feels Parade

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