Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Music Health Alliance Compilation 2021.
There has been a lot of fund-raiser singles and albums released throughout the pandemic to aid everyone from ailing health systems, to front line workers, through to struggling musicians.
Many of them have been good and all are for a worthy cause however, this album has the most impressive line-up of artists of any that I’ve received.
The proceeds from the sales go to the Music Health Alliance who develop programs to assist with the mental health of musicians, a project that is needed more now than ever before as a result of the desperate nature of the music industry due to COVID.
All of the artists donated a track and there are many standout performances on the album
The line-up speaks for itself, Ry Cooder; Elvis Costello; Emmylou Harris; Jeff Tweedy; Keith Urban; Taj Mahal (featuring Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley); Lucinda Williams; Steve Earle; Rosanne Cash (with John Leventhal and the Milk Carton Kids); Rodney Crowell; Joe Henry; Ronnie Dunn; and John Hiatt.
I’m a long-term fan of Ry Cooder and it was great to hear him do Baby Started Wearing Her Mask and likewise with Taj Mahal who does a lovely, bluesy, rendition of the classic Sitting On Top Of The World.
There was a period I went through in the 1980s where I was constantly buying compilation albums to support important causes.
It was a win-win as it satisfied both my left-leaning bias and my musical passion in one go.
However, a by-product has been that I have not only amassed a substantial collection of rare albums but I’ve also been introduced to a variety of artists that I may not have otherwise come across.
I have compilations in aid of nuclear disarmament, environmental protection, animal welfare, Amnesty International, the fight against AIDS and many more.
I will be bringing more COVID compilations to your attention as they become available.
