Rusty Reid - The United States of Selfishness (Rio Paso Music)

In a world where people seem so entrenched in their social, political, cultural, and religious positions, it takes a brave and honest voice to challenge any one of those forces. But framing the problem as a rot growing at the heart of the United States and taking on all of those powers-that-be at once, is something else. Yes, the song comes from a more liberal position, but how could it not, considering its call for empathy, equality, understanding, and dialog? But it is safe to say that “The United States of Selfishness” is a refreshing and timely song, and Rusty Reid, while he might for now at least feel like a lone voice in the wilderness, is precisely the sort of artist we have been waiting for. The sort of artists that we need.

I often comment that, in a world where so much music is made on a daily basis and where there are dark clouds on every horizon, why isn’t there more music that is critical, questioning, and demanding even of those in power? Where are the protest songs? “The United States of Selfishness” might not quite be a protest song in the traditional sense, but it seeks to speak truth to power and asks all the right questions. And that has to be a welcome stance.

So, along a wilfully lazy and wonderfully meandering groove, he questions the world we find ourselves in, a world of division and suppression, populist politicos, and those in positions of power who are merely on the make. There is something gently anthemic about the slow and steady build of the song, the added sonic weight that joins it as it travels towards its final destination, punctuating and underlying the power of the words as it builds.

It’s a fantastic song, and even though I’m writing this review from the other side of a vast ocean, the song frames issues that we can all relate to and describes a world we all recognize. The question is, just what are you going to do about it?

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