Customer Reviews

I Will Stand Fast

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This CD is a powerful expression of the triumph of the human spirit, both individually and collectively, in the face of adversity, conflict, and challenge. All the songs are based on true events. Some are humorous (If I Were A Moose and You Were A Cow), some historical (Denmark, At the Elbe), and some topical (I Will Stand Fast). I Will Stand Fast (the song) is about encouraging and supporting someone who is recovering from childhood sexual abuse. It is striking that Fred names the whole album this. In many ways his songs represent a "standing fast" in the face of horrible pain and distress in the world. He seems to have a special ability to do this. When I first heard about the CD and that it had political songs on it I thought I would only want to listen to it once. However, I find it inspiring and hopeful and listen to it often.

As with most folksingers who started out in the 1980s or later, Fred Small's music has had minimal commercial exposure and his popularity has spread almost entirely by word of mouth. So if you're reading this review, chances are either you already own one of his other albums or you've never heard his work but someone else told you you might like it. If either of those is the case, look no further! This is his best album, and one of the best modern folk albums by any artist.

All of Small's albums have some political material on them. Here, most of the songs are at least allegorically political. The directly topical ones are the anti-apartheid anthem "Diamonds of Anger," and "Scott and Jamie," the true story of a gay couple who provided a loving home for a pair of troubled boys, only to have them taken away on the watch of a "liberal" governor. Then there are two World War II-era tales of friendship in the face of atrocity: "Denmark 1943" (the true story of the smuggling of that country's Jews to safety one step ahead of Hitler) and "At the Elbe," about the too often forgotten fact that "Yanks and Reds were friends once."

Other standouts include the title track, about the healing power of love after a traumatic experience (the lyrics suggest it's about childhood sexual abuse, but this isn't quite spelled out), and "The Hills of Avalon," one of Small's many appeals for peace. (The closing track, "This Love," is another of these.) But the album's most brilliant moment is "Every Man," a biting look at the harm traditional masculinity causes for men and why we should learn to overcome it. Even if he'd never written another song, that one alone would prove his genius as a writer.

It's short, but terrific. No fan of modern folksinging should be without it!

"I will stand fast" is a wonderful and comforting song. I also like Scott and Jamie and If I were a Moose. Ten years after first hearing these songs I still like listening to them.

The title song expresses the full spirit of love in action. I loved all the songs but especially that one.