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DVDfever.co.uk – Detroit Rebellion: Detroit Rebellion CD reviewElly Roberts reviews
Ramp Media Lab Records
- Released: Out now
- Rating: 8/10
One man and his acoustic guitar.
Little is known about Detroit Rebellion, other than that he was once a Census Bureau worker, a farmer and, yes indeedy, a politician. Oh and, he was once a member of experimental post-punk rockers Bossman from Rhode Island, who were pretty darned awful. I suppose thats enough actually.His pictures and videos show him behind cool shades and a hat, sporting a trim beard.
Musically he cites Tennessee Ernie Ford, Leadbelly, Johnny Cash (and oddly, Joy Division, not that youd know it). This all leads to a kind of acoustic blues and folk rock. In spirit, his work is more akin with the likes of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger et al. This no-frills collection warrants close inspection purely for the bravery shown in releasing a CD with no other instrumentation, which is a tough call.
DR writes stories about the remote back roads he probably encountered, and inevitably many characters en route, along with social commentary.Hes also got a keen ear for political and social conflict, so his opening song Dont Make Waves is about civil liberties, and Meeting Of The Minds deals subtly about political division. Unlike so many who tackle sensitive issues, theres no hint of real revolution or anger, just purensimple reportage 21st century style. To his credit, as far as Im aware, no-one else is doing this type of stuff, especially as well, and some might see parallels with the embryonic flourishes of a young Bob Dylan.
Presumably his job at the Census Bureau inspired the threatening role he found himself in, as he strolled the streets for information on The Numbers; however he sees it as a paranoiac measure.Bob Dylan wrote masterfully about boxer Rubin Carters case of mistaken identity, and here DR does one for himself, though no specific name is mentioned, so we could assume the Detroit riots of 68 provided inspiration. Like many of the lyrics, theres a great deal of obscurity in terms of actual reference points.
Again injustice pops up in the form of War Crimes where he sees the inability to convict was criminals, even though their identities are known, though again, no names are mentioned as he effectively skirts around the issue without potential recrimination. Further-in, The Rabbit is a clever, but short, tale of master and servant, looking at the issues of freedom and enslavement, while New Orleans deals with the social issues in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The verdict: a real troubadour.
Weblink:detroitrebellion.com /myspace.com/detroitrebellion
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Dont Make Waves
2. Meeting Of The Minds
3. The Numbers
4. A Case Of Mistaken Identity
5. The Long Shot
6. Didnt See It Comin
7. War Crimes
8. Pay Them No Mind
9. Yvonne
10. Ahead Of Your Time
11. Step Into The Fire
12. Madison
13. The Rabbit
14. Misery
15. New Orleans
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.