Little Steven
Freedom: No Compromise

Just a couple of years before the release of this album, the most famous bandana in rock'n'roll changed the world of music and popular perception regarding the fusion of art and politics.

Apartheid, still in effect, gets a metaphorical kick in the butt thanks to the idea of Sun City; an album recorded alongside many illustrious colleagues who support the renowned cause involved.

But Little Steven still wants to express his dissent towards American foreign policy and the interventions unfortunately linked to the ideal of the colonizer being stronger than the native.

The first incarnation of the Disciples Of Soul is already done and dusted, and the lot is in fact attributed to Steven alone. Among the musicians, the always faithful and present Bruce Springsteen stands out, with whom the reggae duet Native Americans is created.

The best track is undoubtedly Bitter Fruit. It is a powerful mix of dance and rock'n'roll with a Latin aftertaste in which the story of a slave working on plantations is narrated. I think that if you can make people dance and at the same time present such an important text, you have won.

I feel like recommending Freedom - No Compromise to those who appreciate good old-school guitar riffs - like me - but also to those who do not disdain a pompous eighties sound full of synths (I consider this last feature of the album to be 50/50 both a positive and negative element, but one that fits well in the context). So much so that Trail Of Broken Teatries, during the first 34 seconds, recalls the intro of Maniac by Michael Sembello.

Changing the world is not the task of a song or an artist, but of an idea, yes. And if the idea works, it will remain immortal.

This thought, Steven Van Zandt, surely shares.