Steve Earle

Steve Earle created a firestorm when he wrote a sympathetic song about John Walker Lindh, the "American Taliban," so he'll probably take monster flak for this anti-Iraq war, anti-Bush set. With the exception of "Rich Man's War," an atypically folky and acoustic ballad that delves into the economic and social conflicts that drive "poor boys" to "fight a rich man's war," The Revolution is one of the most rockin' collections Earle's ever cut, with tracks like "Warrior," a tirade against the war makers that sports some of Earle's most flowery language, an almost Shakespearean rant driven by crashing power chords and a martial drum beat; "Condi, Condi," a faux calypso with no overt political content that still sounds vaguely sacrilegious; and "F the CC," a rocker delivered in a Dylan-esque drawl with an unambiguous chorus in praise of proletarian democracy: "Fuck the FCC, fuck the FBI, fuck the SEC, I'm livin' in the motherfuckin' USA."