Customer Reviews

Empire Builders

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

. . .in the person of a youngster named Jason Ringenberg.

The local college radio station's nightly "Americana" music program featured him last week, and I ordered his new album "Empire Builder."

Best cut, so far as I'm concerned, is "Rebel Flag in Germany," reflecting on the fact the Confederate battle flag has been taken up by skinheads and neoNazis who aren't allowed to flaunt swastikas. The song ends with the line "Hell, I don't even want to see that flag in Tennessee."

Ringenberg, like Guthrie, has a tendency to turn pieces of American history most of us don't think about enough into songs, as with ""Tuskegee Pride" (about the Tuskegee airmen of WW II) and "Eddie Rode the Orphan Train." (If you don't know what an "orphan train" was, Google it and learn about a very dark and sad story.) Then there's "Chief Joseph's Last Dream."

There's an old Merle Haggard tune ("Rainbow Stew") included on the CD, but most of them are written by Ringenberg. Even an old-fashioned love song called "She Hung the Moon Until It Died."

And I'm convinced this sort of stuff is where Woody Guthrie'd be, if he were young and alive today.

Electric guitars and a few weird noises and all.

Great CD. Highly recommended. Only eleven cuts, but every one of `em's a ringer.

Jason Ringenberg is my favorite ex-

Scorcher, though Perry Baggs (or is

it Baggz?) and Warner E Hodges have

some rare solo stuff, or stuff with

other bands that is pretty good as

well. Rebel Flag song is too political

and doesn't quite fit here. Would have

been a better song on Clear Inpetuous

Morning, not one of the SCorchers best.

Better luck next time, Jason. I still

love ya!

Jason Ringenberg once again delivers his unique style of rock, country, and folk music on Empire Builders. There are some pointed political statements on songs such as American Question/American Reprieve and Rebel Flag in Germany. The latter expressing what so many southerners, such as myself, really feel about that damn flag. He makes sure the rock gets back in the equation on Link Wray. Eddie Rode the Orphan Train is a hauntingly beautiful song written by the talented Jim Roll. Hell, there aint a weak song on this one. If you like Jason's previous records, you won't be disappointed. Personal favorite is Tuskegee Pride about a black fighter pilot in WWII. Half the Man, written for his father, is honest expression about what matters most in this life. In this day and age of focus group driven radio and here today/gone tomorrow one hit wonders, there are still gems out there like Jason Ringenberg. Go to his website-www.jasonringenberg.com and pick up a copy.

Ringenberg's latest solo work is a musical meditation on America abroad. Most of the songs were written while touring through Europe and Australia in 2002 and 2003, and given the political climate (not to mention Ringenberg's cowboy hat and Midwestern drawl), he found plenty of cultural mirrors to reflect in. The disconnect of an American abroad provides contemplations on the USA's international reputation ("American Question"), and the insidious spread of our culture and iconography ("Rebel Flag in Germany"). America's internal conflicts, including the clash of bigotry and patriotism ("Tuskegee Pride"), and manifest destiny's impact on native cultures ("Chief Joseph's Last Dream") provide additional grist for the mill.

The songs pose the sort of questions that Alan Jackson's "Where Were You" protagonist might come to with a year or two's distance from 9/11. Having shaken off the initial confusion, one can't help but look past the black and white view our government has posited, and consider how others in the world see us, and historical parallels to the current world situation. Ringenberg provides observations, rather than answers, closing with a meditation on empire. This is the sort of political and social contemplation that marked Springsteen's "Nebraska" and "The Ghost of Tom Joad," and while Ringenberg's sing-song delivery isn't as stirring as Springsteen's raspier Guthrie-meets-rock tone, his timeliness and view are just as welcome.

Beyond the social commentary, the album provides several apolitical moments, including a rockin' tribute to Link Wray featuring Eddie Angel on guitar, a twangy new ballad ("She Hung the Moon (Until it Died)"), a wonderful tune about the writer's father ("Half the Man"), and Jim Roll's incredibly sad tale, "Eddie Rode the Orphan Train." Their internal focus provides needed balance, and nicely contextualizes the bigger picture songs as more personal observations than political broadsides.

These ambitious, politically reflective lyrics show a greater depth than any of Ringenberg's earlier works. He takes care to lay down some fine twangy rock, but it's the itch in his social consciousness that gives this album its soul.

This is a great CD from one of the finest singer / songwriters currently putting out material. It is a very insightful collection of songs that deserve to be heard. Jason put's on one helluva live show as well. If you have never seen him live do yourself a favor and check him out. If you have I'll see you at the show next time he's in town.