The Bottom Line
Pros
- Dan's cover of Woody Guthrie's "Biggest Thing Man Has Ever Done" is wonderful
- Strongest track: "We Will Not Be Divided," and "Take Back the New Millenium"
Cons
- The record could maybe do without "Revolution Begins in the Basement"
Description
- Back to the roots of Folk, this record pulls out the stops to be hard-hitting and topical.
- Every song lives up to the title of the record.
- Dan writes great songs. Period.
Guide Review - Dan Bern - Anthems
According to his record company, Dan Bern's Anthems CD was rushed out in time to make a certain point about the presidential election in 2004. Suffice it to say the artist's ultimate goal of inspiring enough motivation to mobilize the liberal base was unsuccesful.The record, however timely and topical it was at the time, just may prove to be a collection of timeless folk songs. After all, Dan enlists the assistance of Folk music's greatest hero, when he pulls out his rendition of Woody Guthrie's "The Biggest Thing Man Has Ever Done." Woody penned the original version during the height of the second world war, with the final verse stating "We'll kick (Adolph Hitler) in the pansers and when the job is done, that'll be the biggest thing man has ever done."
Dan's version keeps going, though, to include a verse about landing on the moon, and finally one about electing anyone other than George W. Bush to the presidency.
The other high point on the record is the song, "We Will Not Be Divided." This 12-verse epic folk tale talks about the indivisibility of the human spirit, and is about as inspiring as it is pleonastic.
For what it's intended, Anthems does a great job of communicating. It's packed with songs that are easy to learn and hard to forget. If you're not singing along with a sign in the air that reads "Regime Change Begins at Home" by the end of this record, you're probably in the wrong choir.
