‘Warrior Utopian’ is the latest offering from Austin-based DAN CIOPER and is a call to everyone to act in building the better world that we all try to envision. As protest singers go, Dan is in a long tradition from Woody Guthrie through to Bob Dylan and beyond. This is a man who clearly cares about the world in which we live and has a social conscience, having previously played at numerous anti-war rallies.
This is Dan’s first full-length album since his wife passed away in 2009, and this tragedy is reflected in some of his lyrics. Whilst some of the material here is quite dark, there is always an undercurrent of hope, and this prevents the album from sounding too bleak.
The opening track, the wonderfully titled ‘Billionaire Mother Theresas’, is a good start, a cross between some electric blues and electric folk rock, with Dan’s vocals coming across at times as quite Dylanesque. The backing vocals are great, with the sound varying from Gospel choir to 1970s soul. That ight sound like a leap of faith, but it actually works really well on this. The lyrics detail someone who has been kicked in the teeth by life, but still has a degree of optimism and faith in their future: - “All these sorrows rain down on me, like a slow setting sun I bleed/ On this treadmill life, I’m never fully free, I tell myself “patience, patience”.”
Following this is the heavier ‘Whole Lot Of Wakin’ Up To Do’, which starts off with a radio announcer’s “Good morning, the time is 6 am.”, which I thought was a nice touch. The backing singers are excellent on this, and Dan’s voice sounds rawer, he also manages some excellent harmonica, which suits the mood perfectly. The lyrics are spot on, detailing all that’s wrong in society, and how we should stand up to it, this is a song in the mould of The Doors ‘Five to One’: a perfect anthem for the 21st Century generation sick of being dealt the rotten hand every time, and sick of our politicians and capitalist’s profiting from war and suffering: - “Where the pastors of God and peace aint preaching in the streets/ Saying hell’s to pay for some and church dues for the fortunate ones/ And the souls of miracle workers are clawing at their skin/ Saying “release me now, this earth life’s a crying sin."
|
There is some really effective lyric work here, which does jolt the mind and conjure the right images. I especially like the line: - “While the white-collar mass-murdering hand goes/ uncuffed.” Which says it all really.
After a track as good as this, I thought that the quality might drop, but Dan delivered a real surprise with ‘Satan On The Street’. There is a total change of direction here, the track having an easy laid-back reggae groove. Once again, the lyrics are thought provoking: - “Satan was no saint, but to some he was a saviour/ Exchanging peace for prosperity.” Heavy stuff indeed!
Without a doubt, the centrepiece of the album is ‘Salvation’. Running at seven and a half minutes long, it is a reggae-based song of hope and joy. In fact, the upbeat lightness of mood on this track was infectious, and I found I had a sloppy grin on my face practically throughout. The horns work really well on this, and the sound is marvellous. The lyrics while toughing on dark themes of death are filled with an unshakeable belief in one’s destiny: - “So long antiquity, so long world, a-perished in the ocean just to find one pearl/ But I won’t be grieving for lives lost in vain, I will rejoice for one truth gained.”
This is well worth getting hold of, either as a download, or as a CD from CDBaby. The album has an apt dedication on it, which has to be quoted: - “This album is dedicated to all those trying to make something of themselves in knowing that we can achieve world peace and prosperity through empowerment.”
With sentiments like that, and some cracking tunes this is a good investment.
Dan Cioper online
|
