Tom Morello:The Nightwatchman "World Wide Rebel Songs"

  He was a revolutionary, and not only was in a band that started a revolution musically, but worked to stand up for what is right and do what was needed to defend them. The band stood, practically naked, on stage for fifteen minutes at Lollapalooza '93 to protest censorship for crying out loud (if I remember correctly, and no I did not look it up on Wikipedia). So it is no surprise that on his solo project, which is his fourth under the moniker The Nightwatchman that he continues to write World Wide Rebel Songs.  The "Black Spartacus Heart Attack Machine" may seem like it would sputter mixing an acoustic and funk rhythm during the chorus, but manages to sound in fine form as the rest of the song is oiled with harmonica, lovely guitar arpeggios, slight gospel, and motown; who can forget the message too? The "Dogs of Tijuana" are coming home, but not because they hear a dinner bell. No, they hear the rumbling of their bellies because there is a fire lit inside; with nothing to cook but an off-kilter latin-strummed groove that use the bridge to get there. When will we get to hear Tom Morello play the guitar like he did in his funk-metal past like the bad-a-- mofo he is? When will the time come that we can hear a sound and message that reveals the rage against the machine? When will that time come?! "It Begins Tonight." Ben Harper joins Morello in a soulful crusade to "Save the Hammer for the Man," and the solo and the vocals complement each other. Morello is preparing to start some change. The song starts with bombs and Morello's soothing voice, but I am not sure if it is the story or the several tempo changes in the song that is more intriguing, but the "Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse" has written some lyrics that sound just plain mean to those who probably deserve it, but "what’s rarely done is rarely seen." The next song's be-bop piano, gospel vocals, and stellar guitar work "Speak and Make Lightning" while the lyrics might smile and make determination. After "Facing Mount Kenya" I can hear the bells,chimes, funky bass and rhythm defying what I thought would encapsulate his sound, but it sounds like a mix of instrumental and spoken word poetry. "The Whirlwind" does not only include shrapnel and sawdust, but a story of sadness, some slow strumming, and madness, prologue piano, "and a world famous symphony of angry ghosts singin'."  The funky sing-along sounds much more upbeat, but is filled with tension and anger as he sings under a sky raining "Stray Bullets," but in my mind I keep singing Na Na Na Na Na NaNa Hey Hey Hey..gooodbye. If you didn't listen to the lyrics you wouldn't know ("15 months lost in Iraq/We got Stop-Loss'd, they sent us back/Why the f*** we're even here, I'll never know").  Most irons are quiet and only make a light noise when it steams, this "Branding Iron" makes a noise when the harmonica is played, otherwise it is pretty quiet (musically), but lyrically "I'm a thousand tornadoes screaming across the plains."   The title track(or the whole album) is an example of how you can make enticing music and still relay a strong message to the listeners. "God Help Us All" if Tom Morello follows the path that Jack Johnson has; because in songs like these his delivery reminds me of the aforementioned Johnson (and I do not despise him, but Morello can do much better). The "Union Town" member consist of some signature riffage, Morello's distinctive delivery and drive, handclap beat, Newton's law of motion, and "There’s 100,000 in the street/And that number’s gonna grow." So why don't you wait another minute for the show? I must confess I didn't believe it was going to be this good, you see.