SOCIAL ANTHEMS, VOLUME 1

Certain songs from the past seem to address present troubles. Or perhaps those troubles never went away. Jazz vocalist Cathy Segal-Garcia presents her own renditions of a few of these songs on her new album, beginning with Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth," a song that has popped up a lot lately, especially after the police's response to Black Lives Matter protests, and after authorities attacked peaceful protesters in D.C. so that the orange conman could pose with a bible. Cathy Segal-Garcia's rendition is thoughtful and soulful, and features some nice percussion by Lorca Hart. Listen to the powerful and pointed way she delivers the lines "What a field day for the heat/A thousand people in the street/Singing songs and carrying signs." There is also an excellent instrumental section. That's followed by "What Are We Gonna Do," the album's original composition by Cathy Segal-Garcia. The song has a gentle feel, but in it she asks some big questions, including how we are going to justify the human race. "How do we recognize what's wrong and make it go right?" I think we've got a handle on the first part of that question, but not the second. This song features some wonderful work on guitar. When I think of artists who have written social anthems, I don't usually think of Billy Joel, though his "Goodnight Saigon" and "Allentown" address important topics and are seriously good songs (it is best to forget the awful "We Didn't Start The Fire"). The song of his that Cathy Segal-Garcia covers here is "And So It Goes," from Storm Front, and she delivers a touching rendition, joined on vocals by Paul Jost. She also delivers a cover of Peter Gabriel's "Down To Earth" that features a fantastic instrumental section. One of my favorites is her take on "Get Together," which she combines with "Can't Find My Way Home," an interesting choice. Her vocal work grabs us right from the introduction, and is at times haunting, as on the lines "We shall surely pass" and "We are but a moment's sunlight/Fading in the grass." And all the musicians really shine on this track. The album concludes with Marvin Gaye's "Save The Children," with Mon David joining her on vocals.