Album Review: Ry Cooder - Election Special

An election year in the United States is something that takes on gargantuan proportions. While our most recent voting took unusual importance in place of our usual cynicism, it's still hard to describe the fervor that accompanies this Stateside. With Election Special, Cooder has created not just a song, but a whole album dedicated to pushing his protest agenda.

The album's opener Mutt Romney leaves no one guessing as to the liberal democratic theme. Its use of biting satire is from the point of view of Romney's dog that was famously (and consciously) put on the roof of the possible president incumbent's car in a windproof dog carrier. The tender acoustic guitar of Brother Is Gone works as the precursor for The Wall Street Part Of Town: an anthem of anger directed at the country's economic elite. This is one of many tracks that feel rushed musically, so it's left up to the solid playing of the backing musicians, including his son Joachim, to make it work.

This is an album that while raw in delivery is also clever in crafting self-reflection in the listener. This gives credence to the theory that the music is deliberately unpolished to give validation to Cooder's distrust, anger and fear. The content may be hard for audiences not ensconced in the American landscape to fully appreciate, yet Cooder himself sums it up in the final track, where he reminds his compatriots that the whole world is watching. However, while we may not be watching as closely in 2012, we can still take stock of the belief in his convictions and the importance of who is chosen to lead.