Jimmy LaFave,
Cimarron Manifesto

Label: Red House Records
Released: 2007

(4 out of 5)

Jimmy LaFave possesses a wanderer's soul, and when he crosses America today he's often disappointed in what he sees. Conspicuous consumption. Senseless warfare. Disappearing freedoms. Crippling poverty. Artificial love. Reckless disregard for the truth. Thankfully, LaFave is not one to sit idly by and watch society wither away. Cimarron Manifesto is his powerful plea for a renewed civil society, a place where people respect one another and protect universal rights. "This Land" forms the central argument in LaFave's complaint — a catalog of injustices peppered with one request: "I simply want my country back again." The blues rocker "Truth" and a folksy cover of Bob Dylan's "Not Dark Yet" help flesh out the societal grievance. But Cimarron Manifesto isn't just one long socio-political screed. In fact, my favorite song — just as on 2005's Blue Nightfall — is a love-letter from parent to child. No matter how much we love our children, inevitably they drive us crazy at times too. "Lucky Man" is a beautiful reminder of just how fortunate we are to have them here with us. And similarly, in this age of corporate consolidation and profiteering music conglomerates, we're extremely lucky to have independent labels like Minnesota's Red House Records. Home to LaFave and fellow free-thinking Austinite Eliza Gilkyson, among others, Red House remains true to its vision of providing a safe-haven for artists who make great music that also speaks to the common good.

Listen: "Car Outside," "This Land," "Hideaway Girl," "Lucky Man"

Buy: Lone Star Music, Amazon

May 7, 2007