Album cover by Mattia Ilić

Part of the reason for me starting this site is to refute the misconceptions about the lack of modern protest music. The problem isn’t that there is a dearth of socially conscious music, the issue is that most of the artists creating the music inhabit the underground. If you take the effort to seek it out you’ll be greatly rewarded for your efforts.

One of the unsung heroes of political music is David Rovics, an activist and prolific singer-songwriter who has been contributing to the expanding canon of protest songs for over two decades. David Rovics latest album, Stranger & Friends, is currently available on Bandcamp and will be receiving a wide release on all digital formats on January 19th.

Musically the album is a departure from his previous album Songs For Today, which was one of the best protest albums of 2019. That album was a solo acoustic album recorded in one day. Three of the tracks from that album appear here as reworked versions (“When the Nazis Came to Rotherham,” ” My Great Grandparents” and “A Penny A Play”) being enriched by additional instrumentation and vocal harmonies. A couple of the other songs from previous albums also benefit from a retooling.

Rovics’ observational lyrics are as insightful as ever, but this may be his richest album both musically and in terms of production. Irish producer and multi-instrumentalist Pol Mac Adaim not only add depths to the tunes with his production and mixing skills, but he also contributes various musical elements such as whistles, pipes, and harmonica.

Most of the songs also feature vocals from Lorna McKinnon. The harmonization between Rovics and McKinnon adds additional poignancy to the lyrics.

The album opens strong with “Living on the Streets of LA” which is a thoughtful examination of the homeless crisis currently taking place in Los Angeles. It contrasts the situation with the Hollywood glitz associated with LA (“In the wealthiest nation in all of human history. So far from paradise, so close to Walt Disney”).

The album covers many topics that you would expect from a protest album, but he also addresses the reality of being a singer-songwriter in the age of streaming. “A Penny A Play” expands labour and unions rights to include receiving fair compensation from streaming platforms such as Spotify. The production and additional vocals add a different dynamic compared to the stripped-down version that appears on “Songs For Today.”

Several tracks such as “So This Is What It’s Like,” “My Great Grandparents” and “The Time To Act” address the anti-immigration rhetoric and policies that are sadly prevalent in America. Building on that theme, the album’s emotional centrepiece is “I Was A Stranger” which references Jesus words at Matthew 25, and exposes the hypocrisy of evangelical Christians who claim to follow Jesus while expressing contempt for immigrants and refugees. It is a heartfelt plea to remember the humanity of those fleeing oppression, which concludes with the statement “Now all of us are forced to choose between Caesar and God.” It a statement of self-reflection, are we willing to be complicit to injustices by our silence and lack of action.

The album closes on an emotional high note with “If There’s A Tomorrow,” a mournful indictment of modern social ills. The song is a prime exhibit of how the album benefits from the beautiful vocals of McKinnon. It is the closest thing the album has to a love song. It serves as a timely reminder that in these tumultuous times we need to cling to those that we love.

After all of these years, not only is it refreshing that Rovics maintains his unwavering resolve as an activist, but he continues to show his growth as an artist. In these times that we live in, we need artists like David Rovics more than ever.

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