Chuck Prophet
"Bobby Fuller Died for Your Sins"
(Yep Roc (ASTERISK)(ASTERISK)(ASTERISK))
The title song of Chuck Prophet's new album is about the singer of "I Fought the Law" fame who was found dead under mysterious circumstances in 1966. A taut, anthemic rocker, it sets the tone musically and thematically for an album that deals a lot with death.
"Killing Machine" is a chillingly terse yet evocative number that hints at the horror of random violence. "Bad Year for Rock and Roll" laments the losses in 2016, mentioning David Bowie in the first verse, while "In the Mausoleum" is dedicated to another of those lost last year, Suicide's Alan Vega. And "Alex Nieto" is about a San Francisco security guard who was killed by police, with fellow San Franciscan Prophet building its power by simply stating the facts of Nieto's life and death and hammering the refrain "Alex Nieto was a pacifist/ A 49ers fan."
There are some light moments _ "Jesus Was a Social Drinker," "If I Was Connie Britton." But for all the darkness on this self-styled "California noir," the music also attests to the enduring resilience of rock-and-roll itself. Ironically enough, it's a line in "Bad Year for Rock and Roll" that gets to the heart of what animates that spirit: "We don't have to die to reach a better place."
_Nick Cristiano
