Bill Madden Gone (The Orchard) * * * 1/2
Bill Madden is back with Gone, a follow up to his 2004 release of Samsara’s Grip, which “established him as a powerful, independent, independent sociopolitical voice for our time,” according to his record label, Madmuse, and earned him comparison to Bob Dylan. So is MaddenÕs new album even in the same league as one of the most powerful songwriters and poets of the past four decades? Not quite, but itÕs still pretty good. Like Dylan, Madden uses a variety of instruments and musical styles on Gone. Keyboards, a small string section and buzzing guitars appear on the album, all over lyrics filled with blazing political commentary, tales of lost love and friendship and musings on religion from Madden. His main strength is writing simple, heartfelt songs, and on Gone, Madden excels. “Weight of His Words” kicks off the album with a cautionary tale regarding self-righteousness, “He criticizes just for kicks / With every prick and insult he spews /His ego blows up like a hot balloon.” Heartbreak and realization of the true nature of a supposed friend are lamented on “Might Have Been” and “Friend.” The current administration’s environmental policies are the next items on the list for Madden with “Gone,” “Mother Earth’s a mess from pollution and war / Pillaged like a disposable whore / Environment is a news byte at best.” The tunes “Dangerous Game,” “How many barrels of blood does it take to fill an SUV” and “What in the World,” “Big government likes it this way / It’s an us versus them, no-win situation” complete a consecutive trifecta of Bush-bashing songs. “Mi Vida Es” has Madden crooning in Spanish and English interchangeably about his love in life “Everyday I am thankful / Humbled to be so blessed / I can’t imagine a better life” over soft drums and twinkling pianos. Madden philosophizes on the meaning of life and God’s wonder on “Art of Being,” which finishes with him shouting “It’s the art of being” over a guitar solo and an elegant string arrangement. The album’s finale “Everything and That,” the album’s most upbeat and probably best track, is a rousing call to arms for mindless Americans to realize that their “Righteous politicians / Evangelical in zeal / Strippin’ away our rights” are slowly taking over the world and soon we will be “Living Orwell’s vision of suspicion, cloak and veil / In a world without borders.” Madden’s description of our country as an Orwellian society without choice or democracy leaves room for skepticism, but he does raise valid points regarding the debatable forcing of our culture on other countries. Though Madden is reluctant to accept the comparisons to Dylan, the similarities in terms of instrumentation and lyrical matter are there. He doesn’t and may never have the popularity or recognition that Dylan got, but his newest album Gone, has him going in the right direction.
