Communist Cats

My Name Is Buddy is the second in the so called California trilogy released by Ry Cooder on his return to mainstream, as opposed to world music oriented, recording. It is a socio-political concept album revolving around the depression years of the 1930s and a regular Cooder pre-occupation from back to his earliest albums. There are many threads that will be familiar to long term fans. As well as the depression era setting, Cooder's odd penchant for extra-terestrial visitors makes an appearance on the track Green Dog. Long term musical collaborators make returns such as singers Bobby King and Terry Evans, accordionist Flaco Jimenez, drummer Jim Keltner and Van Dyke Parks on piano. His son Joachim is now a regular contributor and there are significant contributions from old timers Mike and Pete Seeger, one of the formers last recordings. Chieftain Paddy Moloney is on a couple of tracks adding pipes and Roland White's mandolin and Jon Hassell's jazz trumpet deserve mention. The overall feel of the disk is old timey, hillbilly country but despite what one senses is a reluctance for Cooder to unleash many slide guitar licks, the blues also crops up together with a smidgen of gospel and on a couple of tracks some cocktail jazz. It makes for an entertaining and thought provoking whole, although I remain unconvinced by the central conceit of having the protaganists of the saga take the form of cartoon animals; Buddy the red ( communist ) cat who is a dead ringer for Woody Guthrie, Lefty the political rabble raising mouse and the Reverend Toad representing oppressed black minorities. There is also the melancholy feel that even after the credit crunch banking fiasco we have just endured, American society remains no more willing to accept the views and solutions of such as Buddy and his friends.