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Title: America: A Tribute to Heroes
By: Various Artists
Released by: UNI/INTERSCOPE
Released on: December 4, 2001
Rating (out of 10): 8
Date: 12/21/2001

Ragged But Worth It

It's hard to treat America: A Tribute to Heroes as just another pop album. Critical observation of the music and artists gets tangled up in thoughts of September 11th and the memories of horror and fear that accompanied the Pentagon and World Trade Center disasters. Appreciation of the effort these artists made to provide comfort to the country and financial support to the victims and families of the attacks on America can mean a less demanding ear when it comes to writing a review.

First, we have to understand that America: A Tribute to Heroes isn't a polished work. This music was made haphazardly, with little or no rehearsal, and the album was rushed to market to generate more cash for the cause. What we hear is what dedicated artists came up with, basically on the spur of the moment. While none of the music is technically top-notch, much of it is spirited and full of the emotions that ran so high in the country at the time.

Bruce Springsteen leads off the album with "My City of Ruins," a beautiful guitar ballad whose title, while not specifically written for New York, is painfully accurate. The female choir is a nice touch; it adds a serenity to the scene the sad lyrics don't offer:
My city of ruins
now the sweet bells of mercy
drift through the evening trees
young men on the corner
like scattered leaves
boarded up windows
the empty streets
my city of ruins

Springsteen sounds tired and full of sorrow—common feelings right after the 11th. No song on the album could have set the tone better than "My City of Ruins"—it offers the sadness of the situation, while Springsteen shows us how to detach from it by simply observing and reporting what happened. It's a beautiful song.

Unfortunately, the mood switches from sad-but-coping to a bitter good cheer. Stevie Wonder's voice doesn't do anything for me on the best of days—he tends to sound whiny even when he's upbeat—and his vocal on the R&B-styled "Love's In Need of Today" is more nasal than usual. Take 6, backing him up, is pretty good, filling in the "ooohs" and "ahhhs" without intruding on the song too much. The lyrics here are more direct than on "My City of Ruins," clearly spelling out why all these artists have gathered to perform.
What I'm about to sing
could mean the world disaster
could change your joy and laughter
to tears and pain
It's that directness that weakens the song, along with the mood, which more or less implies defeat. Further on in the song, Wonder finally offers a weak "We can still be happy" verse, but the damage is done. Finally, the music itself is thin, sounding like an outtake from Songs in the Key of Life—but then, Stevie Wonder music always sounds like that to me.

With "Walk On," U2 gives us back the mood of "My City of Ruins," only musically tougher. It's equally moving, with a gentle vocal, nice echoes, and poetry in every line. Bono's nice tenor caresses, "There's never gonna be peace on Earth," and gets stronger as the song goes on. The little tag, "Hello from London!" reminds us that immediately after the 11th, air travel was restricted, and only by satellite could U2 be part of the show.

Faith Hill is a popular country star, but her gospel roots shout through the country glitz on "There Will Come a Day." This is Faith pushing faith; her strong mezzo soars through the exhortation to Believe in a better world, to Pray for guidance, and to Be Strong for our country. This is One Nation Under God music, without shame, Hill sounding the call to church. (Whether she'd be willing to play Boadicea herself, however, is debatable.) Forget Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA"; "There Will Come a Day" is the song to play when you need a serious patriotic pick-me-up.

Considering the situation, there are several appropriate responses. Sorrow, bitterness, and determination are joined by out-and-out defiance in the person of Tom Petty, whose "I Won't Back Down" is about as subtle as a Mac truck as a response to the bombings. This is solid pop music, heavy on the guitars—classic Petty—and the lyrics are unrelenting in their determination to survive the disaster and fight back against those who would destroy our home.
I keep this world from dragging me down
but I stand my ground
and I won't back down
I'd never heard of Enrique Iglesias before this album. I find out now he's the son of eternal Latino lounge lizard Julio, and all I can say is that the apple doesn't fall from the tree if this tune, "Hero," is any proof of parentage. Iglesias the Younger overemotes to within an inch of his life, sobbing on about being our hero, while the piano tinkles like one in a casino lobby and sappy violins swell over the chorus. This is dreadful; program your CD player to miss this one.

Oddly incongruous in this mix of patriotism and bully pulpit is Neil Young's cover of John Lennon's lovely "Imagine." Now, don't get me wrong; "Imagine" is a gorgeous tune, and its sentiments are always appropriate, but...somehow this song, at this time, under these circumstances...Well, it simply seems out of place amongst the other songs, out of character for Young, and out of sync with the general mood of the day. Considering all and everything, I applaud Young for having the guts to perform "Imagine" at the benefit concert, but it's just wrong for a number of reasons. As for the performance itself, Young's voice is not unlike Lennon's—thin, a little rough—and he sounds strong here (as strong as Neil Young ever sounds, anyway). The piano is, of course, the star of the instrumentation, and he's copied Lennon's musical and vocal delivery note for note.

On "Someday We'll All Be Free," Alicia Keyes is a sultry '40s nightclub singer—her butterscotch alto sliding through the tune effortlessly. This is sensual music—tingly reminders of an earlier time of black ladies sitting on grand pianos pouring their souls into their songs. I can see potted palm trees and shadowy backdrops as I listen, hear the tinkle of Manhattan glasses as Keyes' voice takes me back. "Someday We'll Be Free" is just beautiful, and I'll be buying more of Keyes' music to hear her again.

Though I like Billy Joel most of the time, I have to say his cover of "New York State of Mind" really sucks. He's taken a slow song and emptied any energy it once had. He may as well be reading a phone book for all the interest his voice shows, and the instrumentation is completely unimaginative. Forget it—this is just dull to tears from beginning to end.

"I Believe in Love," the contribution from the Dixie Chicks, sounds like every ballad you've heard from them. It's got the fiddle we expect, the droning, slightly off-key country lead vocal, and some sweet harmonies on the chorus. There's nothing special about this tune, but if you like The Dixie Chicks, you can listen to it and be happy they got involved with the show.

By the hand of the Almighty
we struggle in this generation
triumphantly
New York City, won't you help me sing
these songs of freedom are all I've ever had
With "Redemption Song," Wyclef Jean has the coolest song and most heartfelt delivery on the album. This one is glorious, and I play it over and over again. Though his usual style isn't a personal favorite, "The Redemption Song" is the best example of America's music fighting the evil we saw on September 11th. America: A Tribute to Heroes has many shining moments, but none shine brighter or with more conviction than that of the immigrant who sings from his heart.

Shall we just perform our charitable duty for today by not discussing Mariah Carey's stripped-down version of "Hero"? As "The Redemption Song" would make this double album worth buying, even if everything else sucked, "Hero" could make you refuse it, even if everything else was wonderful. It's that bad.

The only thing that makes Bon Jovi's "Livin' On a Prayer" worthwhile is that it's a pretty good song no matter where it is. I'm not sure why it's a part of this benefit, since it has nothing to do with New York, patriotism, faith, or anything beyond trying to make a living at a dead-end job and staying together no matter what. OK, I guess that's the connection—holding on through good times and bad—but it's tenuous. Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora do well with their old hit, performing with energy and humor.

I've never thought Sting was anywhere near as cool as he (and his audience) thinks he is. Here he's doing his usual sly hipper-than-thou act with "Fragile," which reminds us that, "nothing comes from violence, and nothing ever will." Thanks much for the lesson in morality, foreigner. The music is very nice, though, with the vocal accompanied by an acoustic guitar and, further along, by a nice choir backup.

Eddie Vedder's vocal on "The Long Road" makes me think he was doing a Neil Young impression, but fortunately Vedder can't sound quite nasal enough to pull it off. "The Long Road" is a charming tune (even with that odd lead vocal) that starts off gentle and builds power as it goes. This isn't a reason-to-buy-the-album kinda song, but it's pleasant and a nice addition to the mix.

God save us from another rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Water," no matter who's singing it. It was mediocre back in 1971, and it hasn't worn well over the years. Surely, with his talent, Paul Simon could've come up with something less beaten to death than this. Simon sounds as though he's going to cry, which may be an appropriate response to the attacks, but doesn't make for a very attractive sound. I hope there's a flood that washes that "Bridge" out; this track is pure filler.

The last two tracks are both worthwhile, each for different reasons. Musically and vocally, Celine Dion kicks ass with the first; her voice is magnificent, and she pours on the power in her delivery. (I'm going to overlook the oddity of a Canadian singing "God Bless America.") On the second tune, Willie Nelson is joined by everyone for a jangly but fun version of "America the Beautiful." (I remember the show on TV; the microphones went out about halfway through, and it's a tribute to engineering genius that on the album it doesn't sound like anything went wrong.) Nelson's voice is Nelson's voice; you either love it or feel like strangling him. Fortunately, he's surrounded by better singers—but no better patriots.
Oh, beautiful for spacious skies
for amber waves of grain
for purple mountains majesty
above the fruited plain

America, America
God shed His grace of thee
and crown thy good with brotherhood
from sea to shining sea
You have to have been living in a cave in Afghanistan to not be moved by this one. As I remember the events of September 11th, I realize how special it is that we Americans immediately did what we could to help, no matter how small or seemingly trivial. America: A Tribute to Heroes is the results of some people pitching together to help as best they could.

Even if America: A Tribute to Heroes weren't a benefit album, I would recommend it. There are a few weak tracks, sure, but overall the quality is excellent, and you'll probably never get this collection of artists together again; this may be your only chance. So buy it; it's worth the money. Besides, the profits from America: A Tribute to Heroes go to the families and victims of the crimes in Washington and New York. Please, I urge you to buy a copy and contribute to the cause.

© Copyright CultureDose.com 12/21/2001

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