Randy Newman: Sail Away [purchase]
Public Enemy: Can't Truss It [purchase]
Just call me Captain Buzzkill, I'm basically docking the boat where "Redemption Song" left off. I've actually had these two in my back pocket for the whole week, wondering if someone else would tackle either song. Can't say that I blame anyone for passing on the slavery discussion. We know it's shameful and really, what is there to say that doesn't come off as painfully over-earnest? A ha! That's why we have Randy Newman, a satire machine here at the top of his game. Obviously, his seemingly nonchalant treatment of such a horrible subject rubbed some folks the wrong way, but c'mon, what was he supposed to do? Write a song telling us how bad slavery was? Gee, and all this time I thought it was like Club Med for West Africans. Besides, that's why Public Enemy was invented. While Newman addresses the horrific nature of slavery through ironic distance, Chuck D and Flav get in our faces, kickin' wicked rhymes like a fortune teller. If you're interested, you should check out PE's video for "Can't Truss It." While they abandon the slave ship metaphor for filming purposes, it's still pretty intense. Bass in your face, check it yo.
