American Dreamer

AMG Review of American Dreamer

William Ruhlmann
All Music Guide

On this album of original topical songs, Oscar Brand embraces a series of left-wing political stances, though he does so with far more gentility than such peers as Pete Seeger. "Remember the Horse" questions the go-go world of fast-moving vehicles; "Where Do You Go" discusses the nuclear dilemma (both bombs and reactors); "Kill for Peace" questions the righteousness of warriors; "First He Told Me" supports gay rights; "Don't Never Trust a Woman" supports women's rights; "A Very Nice Country" criticizes the draft and its aftermath; and "Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Heaven" questions the sincerity of religious fanatics. But Brand's usual way of approaching these subjects is to be gently chiding or gently mocking. "For years folksingers, balladeers, and other popular song writers have discussed the failings of the establishment rationally, passionately, but always musically," he writes on the back cover, and in practice he emphasizes rationality and musicality (in styles ranging from folk-rock to country), while reining in the passion that, in other performers, spills over into anger. The result is a listenable, if surprisingly low-key expression of topical views, given the tilt of Brand's politics; rarely has what they used to call protest music sounded so polite.