You will have to travel far in 2021 to find a record with greater personal satisfaction for the artist than this impromptu EP by Colorado based troubadour Gerry Spehar. Releasing LADY LIBERTY to the world on January 20th, Inauguration Day, is also no coincidence, and eagle eyed fans can trace it back to track #1 on Spehar's 2018 album ANGER MANAGEMENT.
At that time, the now single term tenure of the 45th President was at its midpoint and Spehar's own anger management was successfully channelled into a good ole traditional protest album, one greeted with widespread approval by outlets whose boat is floated by such records. The opening track on that album was rather ironically titled 'Thank You Donald', perhaps suggesting that the protest song market was about to receive a stimulus. Now on the date that the 46th President is sworn in, Spehar sparks a different tone on his latest record while still holding onto the theme of protest, although with a desire that things will change in the post-Trump world.
In a quirky method of presentation, the five songs comprising this EP are packaged in two stand-alone tracks and a further three more brought together under the banner 'Immigrant Suite'. This latter trio appear on the download both as a merged effort and on their own to confuse unaware ears on a first uninformed spin. One of these tracks - 'Barrier Reef' also appeared on the previous album, but the context is different this time. What is not in doubt is the cultured status of Spehar to cultivate a powerful piece and succinctly make his point in the standard sub-five minute window of a popular song.
You sometimes get the impression that protest music is the sole domain of one person and a guitar, but LADY LIBERTY sees a much wider instrumental landscape used with steel, fiddle, electric guitar and even trumpet featuring across the five tracks. The overall feel is of a deeper production that doesn't overpower the message.
The message focuses on three specific areas - a return to pre-2016 American values on 'Lady Liberty, Day One'; the true heroes of the pandemic response on 'Laura Dean' and the movement of people across its southern borders in the 'Immigrant Suite' trilogy. What links all three is Spehar's no doubt hope that at least the narrative will change on all three from January 20th onwards.
LADY LIBERTY is certainly a record for a moment in time. Additionally it sparked a revived interest in an earlier album and that is further kudos to Gerry Spehar, a songwriter of increasing importance.