Calvin Russell
Sam

This evening there is "porta a porta" looming. Damn elections! I couldn't care less. Better to listen to music. This record lands in my hands. Calvin Russell. Hats off for the cover photo. Carved face. Experienced. I read his biography. It's really true. Every wrinkle on his face has a story to tell. Tales of dust, a large family, of wandering. of prisons. of adventures at home and in Europe. Of journeys from Texas to the old world and back. Of owning a nightclub, of a Swiss wife. And the music you hear is of the same tone. You can tell he wants to tell us something lived. The first track is a ballad, neither good nor bad. Well-played and sung. With "Common One," it's as if facing Nick Cave. "Wild Wild West" is a nice hard rock. Then a sugary ballad, but not too saccharine. It's fine like that. "The Hole" still winks at Nick Cave. And that's no small feat. The sixth track is intimate just enough. Love is like a bird. If you grip it too tightly, it dies. If you hold it too loosely, it flies away. Then a slightly commercial blues, then a rock 'n' roll by trade, and a rock piece. But I like it when he takes off the armor and tries to let the soul free. "Dream of a Better World." The last track.

You can lose but you can win You might not finish what you start This life is just a bizarre thing You're dealt some cards You play the game You play the game or The game plays you But there's one thing you can hold on to The dream of a better world In your heart always The dream of a better world To help you on those days The dream of a better world When the winner is about to fall And you get tired of it all When every inch has been a fight You take the hits And live the life or life lives you But there's one thing you'll hold on to The dream of a better world In your heart always The dream of a