Give US Your Poor

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Music reviews of Give US Your Poor

Music Review: Brother, Can You Spare A Dime? - The Real Story Of Homelessness In Song
Rating: 5 Stars

Description of Give US Your Poor

Two years in the making, this fund-raising CD created by Appleseed Recordings and the national Give US Your Poor organization at UMass Boston brings together established musicians, socially committed actors and currently or previously homeless musicians in a collection of mostly exclusive new recordings that address the ongoing crisis of homelessness in America. There are frequent collaborations between the stars, who donated their time and music, and their formerly or currently homeless brethren on songs that often reflect on existence without guaranteed lodging, food, and the simple necessities of human existence.

There is a broad spectrum of artists, genres and styles on Give US Your Poor that makes the CD a moving, engrossing, and enjoyable, as well as educational, experience. Among the performers:

Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger join together for a second time (they also share a track on Appleseed's new Sowing the Seeds label compilation). to perform the folk classic, "Hobo's Lullaby."

Jon Bon Jovi represents the "arena rock" camp, pairing up with the formerly indigent Mighty Sam McClain on the rousing, gospel-inflected "Show Me the Way."

For the AAA/Starbucks crowd, there are new tracks from the latest sophisticated, jazz-influenced and popular female singer-songwriters - Madeleine Peyroux and Sonya Kitchell - and from their more established musical sisters, including Bonnie Raitt (performing a rowdy version of "Walking the Dog" with bluesman Weepin' Willie Robinson), Natalie Merchant (surrounded by six veterans of homelessness), Michelle Shocked, and Jewel.

Other contributors include bluesman Keb' Mo', the famed political/gospel a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock, acclaimed "kid's music" rocker Dan Zanes, newly revived indie band Buffalo Tom, opera singer Mario Frangoulis, and actor/activists Tim Robbins and Danny Glover.

You will also hear music by and read about those whom society has tried to ignore, such as teenager Nichole Cooper and 11-year-old Kyla Middleton, formerly homeless military veterans Michael Sullivan and Weepin' Willie, and outspoken poet/advocate Julia K. Dinsmore, whose two contributions are read by Danny Glover.

The 28-page booklet accompanying Give US You Poor not only contains "the story behind the stories" of these songs and performers, but also presents an array of heartbreaking and infuriating statistics about homelessness in America.

Folk CDs

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• Pop
• Rock