No one’s more of a populist than JAMES MCMURTRY, whose tales put a human face on the downtrodden. The only thing surprising about his entry into protest music is that it took him so long. WE CAN’T MAKE IT HERE is a seven-minute state-of-the-union mantra that looks at the Bush claims of economic recovery and finds nothing but smoke and mirrors. “Try it yourself, Mr. CEO,” he chides. “See how far $5.15 an hour will go.” This is no anti-Bush diatribe—he’s barely mentioned—but a blameless rumination on the growing chasm between haves and have-nots, a cold world where those who can’t make ends meet can always “join the Corps.” While not as finely crafted as his other work, the song is fiercely compelling. And in…
The post We Can’t Make it Here appeared first on Texas Monthly.