One Man Revolution

The Nightwatchman

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 24, 2007)
• Original Release Date: April 24, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000NVJRBO
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #46,110 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. California's Dark

2. One Man Revolution

3. Let Freedom Ring

4. The Road I Must Travel

5. The Garden of Gethsemane

6. House Gone Up In Flames

7. Flesh Shapes The Day

8. Battle Hymns

9. Maximum Firepower

10. Union Song

11. No One Left

12. The Dark Clouds Above

13. Until The End

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

For more than a decade, Tom Morello used earsplitting riffs to make his point, first with Rage Against the Machine, then with Audioslave. But on his solo debut as the Nightwatchman, the man named one of Rolling Stone's 100 greatest guitarists of all time tries a different approach. Taking cues from six-string radicals such as Woody Guthrie and Johnny Cash, Morello reinvents himself as a singer-songwriter armed only with an acoustic guitar, gravelly baritone, and renewed political fervor. The lyrics are unavoidably blunt, whether tackling the plight of third world workers or being a member of two of the biggest rock bands of the past two decades: "On the streets of Havana I got hugged and kissed/ At the Playboy Mansion I wasn't on the list," he sings on the title track. The real discovery is that he's capable of making the same old racket at just a fraction of the volume. --Aidin Vaziri

Product Description

Tom Morello appears as The Nightwatchman on his stark new acoustic album One Man Revolution. These 13 songs create a dark, urgent portrait of a world in turmoil. Morello, the Grammy Award-winning guitarist of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, pinpoints the sociopolitical struggles of the American leftist underground in this series of self-penned originals. Brendan O'Brien (Peal Jam, Bruce Springsteen, Incubus, Rage Against the Machine) produces `One Man Revolution,' which is Tom's first time singing on record.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars something a little different from Morello, April 25, 2007

By	Daniel Maltzman (Arlington, MA, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

On the heels of Audioslave's final album "Revelations," (2006) guitarist Tom Morello is back with his first solo album, "One Man Revolution" (2007) under the moniker "The Watchman."

"One Man Revolution" is kind of like Morello's own "Ghost of Tom Joad" (1995). Sounding nothing at all like Rage Against the Machine or Audioslave, "One Man Revolution" is an acoustic and semi-acoustic album, with RATM-like themes addressing injustice and inequality. It's a sort of loosely based concept album, with Morello playing the role of "The Watchman," who in Morello's words is a "black Robin Hood."

While the album is rather laid-back, it still manages to pack a good punch. Morello's rough baritone voice can carry a tune and he's really into his character. While political concept albums can sometimes come across as preachy or naïve, this isn't really a problem here. Lyrically, Morello strikes a good balance, avoiding sounding simplistic on one hand, or a full-of himself, know-it-all on the other.

"One Man Revolution" has a very organic, home-made feel, as Morello plays every instrument, with the help of producer Brendan O'Brien. And while "One Man Revolution" is pretty straight-forward, Morello manages to throw out some interesting curve-balls, like the Celtic sounding "The Road I Must Travel."

If you're expecting something like RATM or Audioslave, you may be disappointed with "One Man Revolution." However, if you want to hear something a little different from Morello, check with album out.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tom Morello is....The Nightwatchman, April 26, 2007

By	ChuckMoses - See all my reviews

I have to be honest, I really wasn't expecting to like this album, even after hearing "The Road I Must Travel" for the first time. I love Tom Morello, don't get me wrong, but something just seemed strange to me having him doing a solo album. I was a little concerned about how his voice would sound considering he is not a singer, and secondly I love Morello's crazy riffs and solos. I mean thats what he is known for and what makes him so incredible. To my surprise, this album has grown on me and is quite good, if you take it for what is. His voice is what really surprised me. I've heard him speak many times and I didn't expect his singing voice to sound this good. Don't get me wrong, he won't even be in league with the great singers of our generation, but his voice really suits the music quite well actually.

If anything, this album shows the Morello is not a one trick pony. Not only can he make good acoustic music that sounds nothing even remotely similiar to RATM or Audislave. But it also shows that he can write compelling music. I think the most intriging aspect of the album is the lyrics themselves. Some of it might be mildly repetitive and I think some of the album could of used a little more diversity in how it sounds overall, but other than that its a very good, solid album. This really is not my kind of music, yet Morello makes it interesting. I think the only question left to me is, "Can one man really be a revolution?"

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Woody Guthrie would be so proud !, October 5, 2007

By	creatureart (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

Tom Morello aka:THE NIGHTWATCHMAN's debut solo album "One Man Revolution" is a folk/protest music masterpiece! I read in rollingstone magazine a few weeks back that Tom Morello has come out with a solo album full of folk/protest songs and as a huge RATM fan and folk musician/fan myself I was stoked about the very idea. I imediately went to my local music store and picked it up(it hasn't left my cd player since). If your a fan of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Billy Bragg and the great un-heard Patrick Fitzgerald then your gonna love this album. If you care at all about the state of society/government and feel alone in your want and need for change in this dark grey world then your gonna love this album. If your not blind and can see that uncle sam is fooling you with fear and materialism to prime you up for much darker things to come then your gonna love this album. If you don't care about any of these things and your happy to be stuck in your way, don't really care for the message in music and think your government is spending billions apon billions of hard earned tax payers dollars on a neverending war just to keep you safe and free then don't even bother with this album. Go fill up the tank in your nice new SUV and throw something useless into your cd player and continue to be oblivious to what's truly going on in the world around you.