Protest Songs 1924 – 2012

The Specials

Publicado el 27/08/21 por Universal-Island Records Ltd.
Artistas principales: The Specials
Género Ska & Rocksteady

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The Specials are a band with a trademark sound if there ever was such a thing, but a quick look at their catalog reveals only one of their albums truly reflects it. Their instant-classic 1979 debut defined the tough, furious dance groove that made them the greatest act from the U.K. ska revival of the late 1970s and early '80s. However, the follow-up, 1980's More Specials, was a deliberate detour into the then-unhip world of lounge music, and 1984's In the Studio was as stylistically diverse as Jerry Dammers knew how to make it. Thirteen years into the Specials' improbable reunion, the group has been winnowed down to a core of three original members -- lead singer Terry Hall, guitarist and vocalist Lynval Golding, and bassist Horace Panter -- and it's curiously predictable that their second record after returning to action, 2021's Protest Songs 1924-2012, isn't a ska album. The Specials had intended to make a roots reggae album before the COVID-19 pandemic upended their plans, and they opted to instead take on a more intimate project, covering 12 songs that express politically and socially conscious themes in different ways. That's certainly a concept in line with the group's firmly held ideals, but the result is an album that doesn't sound or feel like a Specials record. The stripped-down arrangements lack the muscle of their greatest work, and the insouciant tone of Hall's youthful vocals has given way to a more polished delivery, as if he's embraced his inner Bryan Ferry. Hall sings these tunes with conviction, but with a certain emotional reserve that buffers the attack, and it's not a great choice when he approaches songs like the Staple Singers' "Freedom Highway," the Mothers of Invention's "Trouble Every Day," or the classic spiritual "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Us Around." (Golding fares better when he takes over the lead for Big Bill Broonzy's "Black, Brown and White" and "My Next Door Neighbor" by Jerry "Boogie" McCain, giving them plenty of spirit and jump-blues bounce.) It's a bit difficult to understand how some of these selections qualify as protest songs, especially Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows," which is coolly world-weary but doesn't present a list of concrete demands. There are great moments here, particularly a spare, powerful reworking of Talking Heads' "Listening Wind," and the participants never sound less than sincere, but coming from a band whose heritage includes "Ghost Town," "Doesn't Make It Alright," and "It's Up to You," Protest Songs 1924-2012 never quite reaches its potential.
© Mark Deming /TiVo

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Protest Songs 1924 – 2012

The Specials

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Freedom Highway

00:03:24

Roebuck Staples, ComposerLyricist - George Murphy, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Nikolaj Torp Larsen, Producer, Piano, Harmonica, AssociatedPerformer - Cenzo Townshend, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Tim Debney, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Terry Hall, Producer, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Lynval Golding, Producer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Horace Panter, Producer, Electric Bass, AssociatedPerformer - The Specials, MainArtist - Steve Cradock, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Kenrick Rowe, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Rob Sellens, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Camden Clerk, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Hannah Hu, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Liam Larkin, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel