On "Guns of Umpqua," one of the year's best tracks, Hood details a veteran's difficult re-entry into civilian life, scrambling for his safety during a mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon (where Hood recently moved his family). Hood expertly juxtaposes happy scenes from the hero's life with the terrors of that fateful day when nine people lost their lives.
And now we're moving chairs in some panic mode to barricade the doors
As my hear rate surges on adrenaline and nerves, I feel like I've been here before
I made it back from hell's attack in some distant, bloody war
Only to stare down hell back home.
Almost all of the songs on American Band are unflinchingly topical. On "What it Means," Hood's raspy voice is numbed by police violence and the racial fallout that he cannot begin to sum up; on "Surrender Under Protest," Cooley's country drawl praises the Confederate Flag's removal from the courthouse; on "Ramon Casiano" Cooley depicts the current NRA President's controversial shooting of a 15-year old Hispanic boy back in 1931. The record resonates with both unrest and resolve, even if the way forward is unclear.
Ultimately, Hood and Cooley, both middle-aged white guys from Alabama, have no problem speaking up about the complicated problems of our day, even if it means all of us are implicated in some of the messes. They have long written about the South and its characters with sharp observation and empathy; and they have earned the right to rock a wake up call.
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