my hero

malvina reynolds was a very special lady. she sang pretty much straight from her heart about topical concerns in a way that was accessible and beautiful to everyone from children to grandparents. to call her a protest singer is false (though i'm sure some would insist she is), but perhaps i say this because usually i hate protest singers (but somehow this has become a personal fave). malvina takes you in her arms (i would describe this music in terms of hugs and warmth) and shows you a kind of love and care the world is missing, and then you say "ah!" this is what we must do... i mean its just so much different than being barked at by some guy with his fish fry propaganda. she touches on all kinds of social concerns on this record, without sounding preachy or overbearing. she uses small allegories and simple stories like woody guthrie to let you uncover the point she is trying to make. some of these songs are purely unique. take the song that starts off the album, "the new restaurant" - the birth of the health food movement! she loved the verve and style of a flashy new diner, but the food "was terrible..." in her wispy and magical voice this takes on a lovely dynamic that you have to hear. another favorite is "Little Boxes" which addresses urban sprawl and the shittiness of the suburbs in a way that a 3 year old could understand! i love this stuff. your lips curl up in a smile but at the same time your eyes water a bit. she takes on the klu klux klan, rolls the over-verboseness and hyper-cleanliness of modern society into clever metaphors, and professes love for the universe. maybe one of the most moving songs is "bitter rain" a lamentation of the over arching sorrow of human existence on this planet. it takes me there... she sings like she is on her deathbed. her ouevre is a must. try it on for size.

p.s. album is '67 lp SINGS THE TRUTH