Ry Cooder’s Election Special is a wakeup call as the U.S. heads towards its November Presidential Election. It follows last year’s equally politically-charged Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down, which was one of the best-selling albums’ of Ry’s career. Election Special finds an iconic American artist at the top of his game, boldly addressing the problems he sees in his own country.
The song titles tell the story here - Mutt Romney Blues, The Wall Street Part of Town, Guantanamo, Take Your Hands off It. Ry is pulling no punches.
Ry produced the album and wrote all of the songs. He sings and plays mandolin, guitar, and bass on the album, with son Joachim Cooder on drums.
Ry Cooder is no stranger to political commentary in his songs. His recent run Nonesuch albums Chávez Ravine ,My Name Is Buddy , I, Flathead and Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down have been full of it, and he was performing similarly-inclined songs by Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie in the early ‘70s. But Ry is of course more than just an activist – he is one of America and the world’s most respected musicians, having recorded acclaimed collaborative works with the likes of Ali Farka Toure, some of the most beloved film soundtracks, including ‘Paris, Texas’ and ‘Crossroads’, and, most prominently, having master-minded the phnemomenon that was the Buena Vista Social.
Ry is undertaking extensive media engagements in the US, in both music and political media as the country heads towards its elections in November. The record is being similarly worked here to both music and political/current affairs media.