The Nightwatchman - One Man Revolution

Songs of bitterness and revenge marks the premise of Tom Morello's solo singer-songwriter debut. Who could have predicted that a man more synonymous with ripping up the fret boards for Rage Against The Machine would growl with a baritone that shoots for Cohen territory when he finally came to open his mouth on record. A stark aesthetic frames these 13 rebel songs and the wah-wah pedal is rendered redundant, at least in these parts, as Morello's primary tool to raise a call for action becomes his acoustic.

Like some long obscured character from an old Marvel series, The Nightwatchman is a persona which both conveys Morello's ongoing political motivations as much as it quite successfully enters the ring of the classic folk battles pursued by the likes of Strummer, Springsteen and Bragg. Though the Celtic tinge to The Road I Must Travel might resonate on these shores more immediately than much of One Man Revolution, there's a rare, righteous directness demanding of more widespread attention here. [Dave Kerr]