The Specials – Protest Songs 1924 to 2012
Protest Songs is an album of cover versions and starts with the very bluesy Freedom Highway, written originally by Pops Staples and performed by The Staples Singers back in 1965. The song was written about the Selma to Montgomery march for voting rights and the accompanying video covers many famous marches over the years including the miner’s strikes from the 1980’s and the Jarrow march from the 1930’s.
Pre-lockdown they were making a reggae album, but then as Covid spread throughout the band members and the rest of the World, and debate and protests ensued, they decided to make a protest album instead. So at the end of lock down, Protest Songs was born and this is the result of their spoils.
Voting rights, discrimination, respect, education, prison, civil rights movements, racism and even Vietnam are all covered here in the various songs, moving stuff I hear you say?
Big Bill Broonzy’s, Black, Brown and White is very catchy, but comes with a powerful message about being black and being discriminated against. Being forced to join the back of the queue despite fighting for a Country when men were needed on the frontline for a war effort.
Get Up, Stand Up, the Bob Marley classic works better than most as it retains the same stripped down style of the original. It’s very pleasant indeed.
Fair play to the band for trying something very different indeed as they head into their sixties and seventies. It’s likeable enough, but it just sounds like a load of outtakes at times that have been scraped up from the cutting room floor! It just doesn’t hit the spot for me I am afraid.
Steve Plunkett
5/10
