Pull up Some Dust and Sit Down
Master guitarist and musical chameleon Ry Cooder tackles some serious subjects with characteristic wit and humor on *Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down*. Taking a cue from his hero Woody Guthrie, Cooder delivers a batch of topical and political songs in the grand folk music tradition. He takes on greedy bankers waiting on a handout on “No Banker Left Behind,” the plight of illegal immigrants on “Quick Sand” and “Dirty Chateau,” and the home front realities of modern war on “Baby Joined the Army” and “Christmas Time This Year,” the latter set to an upbeat Mexican accordion melody (by Flaco Jimenez) that belies the horror of the lyrics. “I Want My Crown” and “No Hard Feelings” takes aim at resource speculators, oil barons, and war profiteers, and “If There’s a God” is a funky satire about legislation that limits entrance to heaven to the wealthy. Cooder has long been partial to concept albums and this one flows especially well thanks to good stories, a stellar backing band, and his own distinct blend of Tex-Mex, soul, blues, and gospel. His voice is in fine form, too, as he tweaks it slightly from song to song to fit whatever character he’s representing at the time.
Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down, issued between two national election cycles, is the most overtly political album Ry Cooder has ever released, and one of his funniest, most musically compelling ones, too.
Musically, he's in territory he explored in the 1970s, but Ry Cooder's political bite belongs in the here and now, writes <strong>Neil Spencer</strong>
Ry Cooder is an oft overlooked national treasure and the secret backbone of the roots/Americana revival.
<p>This magnificent new album is as refreshing, brave and original as Ry Cooder's early recordings in the 70s, writes <strong>Robin Denselow</strong></p>
Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down contains stunning songs of protest from American guitar legend Ry Cooder