 |  | Kris...getting better all the time |  |
Kris Kristofferson is the true renaissance man...someone I admire greatly...who has experienced much...and still speaks out against injustice and imperialism.
Thanks Kris.
September 7, 2008| | | Kristofferson: Strong Enough to Care | |
While I feel more emotionally connected to the songs on Kris' latest album (THIS OLD ROAD)...the songs that appear on this re-release still pack a punch: "Shipwrecked in the 80's" for example (which feels like an exploration, an apology, and an understanding tribute all in one).
While some folks might be turned off by Kris' left-leaning politics (these two records are laced with commentary of the times)...I was more than willing to travel down the road with him, to listen to his thoughts and concerns. And why not? Sometimes it takes a songwriter as accomplished and respected as Kris Kristofferson to get the point across. Especially moving are "The Eagle and The Bear", "The Hero", and "Mal Sacate" on the first disc.
"Anthem '84" on disc 2 explodes with an energy that you feel within the first moments of hearing the song...here is a man who is genuine and who cares. And here is his song: a heartbreaking tune of a lover who's lost (of course the analogy is more profound)...(a man struggling with his country's loss of morality)...it is strong because of its poignant grappling.
The music, the sound on these two discs is very different from anything that is heard on later albums (like the AUSTIN SESSIONS, or BROKEN FREEDOM SONG...both of which offer a much more stripped-down approach) and yet it is still very much a personal (and emotional) Kristofferson whose voice we hear.
July 3, 2006good to have two lp on one tape--covers a later section of kris's work--in particular third world warrior was something new for the singer --had a bit of bite
June 28, 2006| | | Better than the Clash's statement | |
I'm referring to the 1980 Sandinista! album by the Clash, a 3-disc monstrosity that was the beginning of the end for a great band. Kristofferson, of all people, is the one who eulogized the Nicaraguan revolution brilliantly in popular music. Third World Warrior is the kind of in-your-face political album Sting wishes he could do. Kristofferson's band is one of the best country-rock aggregations ever assembled. Even when his voice starts to wear, Kristofferson can depend on the musicians. The songwriting tells a unified story, in which Kristofferson unashamedly makes the case for honoring the Nicaraguans who withstood, but only for a time, the brutality of the most powerful country on earth in the form of the Carter, Reagan, and Bush I terms. Kristofferson understands something has to be said about the destruction of a nation that helped its own people survive, and did no harm to the U.S. He says it well.
February 17, 2006This is a brilliant collection of songs that tell a harsh truth. No one writes with the beauty and power of Kris Kristofferson and it is a shame that all to often his work has been overlooked. Whether he is writing of lost love or as in this case political and social injustice Kris cuts To The Bone (another great album) and writes with a passion and lyrical beauty unsurpassed by anyone.
December 8, 2004More reviews at Amazon.com ...
