1940-2010
Speaking of soul, there's so much beauty on this spare, simple album, which has been rightly compared to Johnny Cash's American Recordings. With songs contributed by Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, Brian Wilson, Van Morrison and Nick Lowe, this album is chock full of wise lyrics and beautiful performances. Highlights - including a guest spot by the Blind Boys of Alabama, whose voices complement Burke's perfectly - abound. So, after the shooting in Arizona and the President's plea for greater love and civility, I think I'll just transcribe the lyrics to album closer, "Sit This One Out." Grade: A-
The night’s getting old
and your eyes are weary.
You can’t see clearly
and your nerves are thin.
A half-eaten meal
and a tear on the table.
We don’t seen able
to hold our anger in.
Chorus:
Love sometimes
takes the form of frustration.
It’s a sad combination
of emptiness and doubt.
But, our only human connection
is expressed with a shout.
Well, I think I'm gonna have to just sit this one out.
There was a time
when we could sit and talk about things together.
No, we didn’t shout about things, at all.
We laughed, we loved, we played
and said what we had to say.
But there’s nothing to do now
and I don’t have a clue how to rise above it all.
Chorus
Can I rise above it all?
I don’t even have a clue.
Sometimes I feel like I’m going to fall.
So, I just hold on, don’t let go -
don’t give up everything that you work for so long.
Don’t destroy yourself in a second, with anger.
Hold on, a change will come.
I just wanna say:
I think I'm gonna have to sit and work this one out.
