We live in difficult times. It is easy to despair about the future. Who can you turn to? What gives you hope?
In days like these, common sense, independence, courage and, above all, freedom are vital.
But, how we define each of these values is the big question. One person's idea of liberty is another's symbol of moral decay. Gay campaigners and pro life activists are either defending inalienable human rights or opposing 'decent' religious values.
These questions arise when considering Chip Murray's second album 'Wide Awake' because his protest songs cannot be separated from the artist's conservative principles.
The opening song - The Ballad of John Hall - is, on the one hand, a scathing gloves-off attack on the way financial interests are destroying the lives of ordinary people. It was written , he says, "to express my disgust with our local congressman at the time".
In the song, he accuses John Hall of being complicit with bankers who "sold their lies" for the "hell of independence" causing Chip to reflect bitterly that "I never thought I'd see the day when freedom hangs her head - I wiped my tears and watched my country dying"
But when you examine the object of his loathing, you start to wonder what alternative Chip is advocating. John Hall doesn't seem to be an archetypical money-grabbing, cheating politician. He is a progressive democrat who has voted to raise the minimum wage, supported the healthcare reform bill and has opposed the Stupak Amendment which proposed to restrict federal funds for abortion funding. (Ironically, Hall, also fancies himself as a bit of protest singer. He can be seen on You Tube performing I Told You So, written in the grim aftermath of the nuclear disaster in Japan; a song that puts the 'fuck' into Fukishima).
When I learnt all this about Hall, I began to wonder what Chip Murray's point of view was?
The bio on his website says nothing about his political opinions although you can find these from his 'Shutupnsing' blog in which he introduces himself in this way:
"Chip Murray is a singer/songwriter, financial advisor, Conservative Tea Party Member, devoted husband, loving step-father from Warwick, New York who has just discovered the importance of living from the inside out".
It turns out that he is one of the self proclaimed 'culture warriors'; an online group of conservative musicians, authors and poets who call themselves the Big Dawg Music Mafia.
The fiercely patriotic stance of this Mafia means that he has an openly right of centre position with regard to truth, justice and the American way of life.
This sheds a new light on what prompted him write songs with titles like What About Freedom? and what causes him to lament "What happened to American dreams, we're freakin' zombies in our lifeless schemes" on the title track.
It also made me deeply suspicious of the apparently carefree optimism behind Independence Day ("Where the people are friendly and life is good".
In this song he tells of the tragedy of his cousin , Rocky, killed in acting during the war in Vietnam. Chip sings of how "He fell from the sky for me and you / Rice paddies are soft but they can't break the fall from the weight of freedom / The heaviest of all".
While I feel for the loss of his cousin, it strikes me as disingenuous to depict the war waged to crush a nationalist revolutionary movement in Vietnam solely as a fight for American freedom.
I admit that my strong scepticism about the Tea Party colours my judgement and make it hard to enjoy songs which seem otherwise to be founded on decent principles.
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It is to Chip's credit that he does not advocate gung-ho John Wayne style tactics when standing up for your beliefs - "My brothers and sisters / You don't need a gun to fight for your country", he sings on Independence Day.
Similarly, his recognition that there are few absolutes and certainties in life, means that there is a voice of reason and tolerance behind many of the lyrics. What About Freedom?, for example, includes the line "Your side's right, my side's wrong....that ain't no way to get along".
It is these human qualities, and the fact that these are such well crafted, intelligent songs, that incline me to warm to a man whose political standpoint is so contrary to my own. Musically (though not philosophically) he follows in the American tradition of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen and his singing voice is at time reminiscent of Joe Cocker.
Chip is a 58 year old who, by his own admission, is a late bloomer. He only became a serious musician 8-10 years ago. He describes his first album, 2004's Gone Wishin', as "a metaphor for our journey from darkness to light" although after this but he struggled to find the energy and belief to write a follow up.
Aside from the protest songs, many tracks on this album are about confronting, and overcoming self doubt - finding strength to stand up for what you believe in. On Home, he sings of facing mortality and overcoming a crisis of faith ("let those wings replace your fears").
In the sleeve notes to Wide Awake, he recounts how the song Wonder Why came to him and put him back on track again. This is another song about confronting problems head on and finding a purpose even when the meaning of life is not always clear : "And we wonder why we wake up only to fall back asleep again" he sings.
This echoes the sentiment of another song, Guilty, in which he confesses: "The purpose of livin' hasn't dawned on me yet".
Chip says his favourite song is Like I Do which is also about searching for direction ("the real winner will never be free ..... from his own loser"). It is one of several songs which stress that the strength to fight life's perceived injustices must come from within; by following your heart rather than doctrines. My Girl is about drawing the strength of a good woman who, in his case, "turned this stone to life".
I have no quibbles with Chip over this perspective and applaud the fact that he speaks in terms of a war against apathy. Ultimately, his conclusion is that we need to open your eyes to the way the world is going and, to take a line from Tip Jar , not to " let another day begin without a song in you".
This is a good album only if you take such sentiments at face value and , above all, can come to terms with his anti-liberal political viewpoint.
Chip Murray's Website
Chip Murray's Blog
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