CHUCK PROPHET WITH ¿QIENSAVE? : WAKE THE DEAD

CHUCK PROPHET WITH ¿QIENSAVE? : WAKE THE DEAD

Wake The Dead
Betty's Song
Give The Boy A Kiss
First Came The Thunder
Sally Was A Cop
Red Sky Night
Same Old Crime
One Lie For Me, One For You
Sugar Into Water
In The Shadows (For Elon)
It's A Good Day To Be Alive

Label : Yep Roc Records

Release Date : October 25, 2024

Length : 39:40

Review (AllMusic) : Once you've had a brush with death, it's hard not to throw caution to the wind and do what you want rather than what's expected. In 2022, Chuck Prophet was diagnosed with lymphoma, and for a few weeks it was an open question if his doctors would be able to treat his condition and restore him to health. Good luck was on his side, and he recovered sufficiently to return to making music. While he was pondering his mortality, Prophet indulged his passion for classic cumbia recordings, reveling in the pleasures of the slinky Latin rhythms. He decided to celebrate his new lease on life by making an album with ¿Qiensave?, a cumbia band from Salinas, California, that he'd been jamming with, and 2024's Wake the Dead certainly puts his work in a new light, though it isn't as radical an experiment as one might imagine. The smart, unpretentiously literate storytelling of Prophet's lyrics mesh well with ¿Qiensave?'s grooves, and the band puts their own stamp on the music without forcing the tunes into a place they don't want to go. The Latin flavors are an integral part of this music, and the musicians (¿Qiensave? were joined by members of Prophet's road band the Mission Express for these sessions) can shape-shift into Sir Douglas Quintet-style Tex-Mex and norteño-infused shuffles with easy grace, with a dash of Farfisa-fueled garage rock for seasoning. Prophet also had the good sense to not try to bend his lyrical voice too far to suit the songs. His knack for social commentary in tracks like "In the Shadows (For Elon)" and "Sally Was a Cop" (which he co-wrote with Alejandro Escovedo) works very well in this context, while the open-road tale of "Sugar into Water" and the bittersweet romance of "Give the Boy a Kiss" are less weighty but every bit as effective. And the closing track, "It's a Good Day to Be Alive," is a thoughtful testimony to the small things that make life worthwhile; it's not sugary and is all the more effective for it. It's the sort of thing that might not occur to a songwriter unless he had to seriously consider the prospect of not facing another morning, and along with the Latin flavors, that's what makes Wake the Dead worth hearing -- it's fine work from a great songwriter who is following his passions while he can, and that makes it special.

Review (Rock & Blues Muse) : Whether it was due to San Francisco-bred Chuck Prophet’s time recovering from stage four lymphoma over the past few years, or just an itch to try something different, or perhaps both, is unclear. But the dry-witted veteran singer/songwriter (his days in psychedelic garage rockers Green on Red are far behind him) has shifted, or more correctly enhanced, his approach on this, his 14th (or so) solo album. While recuperating, Prophet dug deep into Cumbia music, which, as his current bio says “… served as a faithful musical companion and reprieve during his immunotherapy and chemotherapy.” Cumbia, Latin American in origin, is usually played with accordions, a bajo sexto (Mexican 12 string guitar), and perky percussion. Prophet also injects retro-infused Farfisa, organ, Tejano and bolero, along with his rock and roll on these eleven tracks, further expanding the diverse vibe. On Wake the Dead (out Oct. 25th) his longtime outfit The Mission Express is joined by Cumbia group ¿Qiensave? That concoction exudes a fresh, unique and frequently joyous, not to mention danceable, addition to his already eclectic mix of indie rock, surf, blues and garage music. The opening title track kicks in as peppy drums and accordion jump out of the bouncy Tex-Mex mix until Prophet enters with his characteristically dry, spoken-sung vocals singing typically poetic/offbeat lyrics of “We might have ourselves a picnic/We might wind up on the moon/We might even give ourselves the third degree.” Even the grouchiest listener will crack a smile with this catchy, lively sound. The upbeat, often spirited Cumbia effects appear intermittently throughout Wake the Dead. It’s particularly evident on “In the Shadows (for Elon),” likely about Elon Musk, which references space travel with “Now everybody’s gonna have to pay/When he rides his rocket ship away/You’ll find me in the shadows/In the shadows I’ll be found.” The frisky clippity-clop beat with Farfisa, lightens those lyrics considerably. Elsewhere Prophet brings a hint of Cumbia on “Sally Was a Cop,” an intense song about cartel violence (“Shot in the back in the ditches of Tecate/35 bodies lying in the highway/Children forced to dig the graves of their fathers”) with a stinging guitar solo and backing vocal perfect for audience sing-alongs. While at least half the tracks borrow some Cumbia stimuli, existing Prophet fans won’t be disappointed since these songs fit, even augment, his established style. He maintains a durable sense of melody, offbeat humor and distinctive vocals while blending the Mission Band with the Latino stimuli of ¿Qiensave?. A few entries like the lovely ballad “Red Sky Night,” (co-penned by Aaron Lee Tasjan and Kim Richey)– featuring floating, water-logged wah-wah guitar chords, ghostly female vocals, and even strings–could have appeared on any previous release. For the bluesy/slow dance “One Lie for Me, One for You,” only elusive scratched percussion echoes the Cumbia inflections and none of ¿Qiensave? appears. On “Sugar Into Water,” Prophet shifts into Question Mark and the Mysterians “96 Tears” mode with Augie Meyers-tailored roller-rink keyboards pumping under a tune seemingly plucked from the 60s. The closing sweet ballad “It’s a Good Day to Be Alive” wraps the proceedings on a note of appreciation for things he took for granted before his diagnosis. But Chuck, being who he is, sings wittily “Yeah, it’s a good day to watch a rerun about a witness to a terrible crime/Good day to solve a puzzle/Oh, it’s a good day to be alive” with wry yet sincere nonchalance. Even at its darkest, the Cumbia sounds combined with Prophet’s songwriting talents create one of his most enjoyable, and certainly most idiosyncratic, collections. “We can take a song/And turn it into gold” he sings, which describes the exuberant Wake the Dead.

Review (Rocking Magpie) : Particularly when I receive albums from acts I like, it’s not so easy finding new words and expressions to describe a new set of songs; even when the songwriter has moved on in direction … but here, from the first time I heard the single Red Sky Night my mind was like a firework display as new ideas, metaphors and descriptive words whizzed and flashed inside my head! The one constant here is young Mr Prophet’s distinctive and trademarked vocals … but almost everything else is brand new and as exhilarating as it is exciting. A little bit of background: Chuck has always had eclectic music tastes and last year a stage four lymphoma diagnosis had knocked the wind out of him, dragged him off the road and into surgery. While waiting for the results he immersed himself in a style of music pan-American called ‘Cumbia’ … which I’d not heard of; that he’d discovered some years earlier. The results were positive and Chuck decided to celebrate by filling his next album with a Cumbian spine courtesy of his friends in a band called ¿Qiensave? alongside Mission Express. The energy this combination created in the studio is mind-blowing! The funky title track Wake The Dead in a-typical Prophet fashion but with a slithery ‘Cumbian’ beat that would make a one legged sailor want to dance! “Gonna wake the dead Get them on their feet,” “We might have ourselves a picnic We might end up on the moon They might even name a planet after me.” We all know that we shouldn’t ‘judge an album by the cover’ … but here that’s exactly what you can do, as Prophet etc. look like a gang of dangerous streetwise, hipsters hanging out looking at the girls in downtown SF … and that’s what these songs are the perfect soundtrack for. Second song in, Betty’s Song is an absolute doozy, with razor-sharp drumming and guitars sounding like a gang fight as Prophet regales us with a timeless tale of this daughter of immigrants trying to better herself and join the American Dream … a song of our times; methinks. There’s so much to like here as the album sashays like a teenage girl in a Friday night dancehall, not least the Prophet/Escovedo co-write Sally Was a Cop which I’ve only previously heard as an Alejandro punk-thrash; but here it’s slowed right down and simmers and sways just like that girl in the dancehall. Much to Mrs Magpie’s amusement, even I haven’t been able to stop myself shaking a tailfeather while listening to Same Old Crime, Sugar Into Water and especially the bittersweet First Came The Thunder (1 of 3 co-writes with Kurt Lipschutz, a poet, songwriter, editor, and occasional literary journalist in SF), even while driving when my shoulders unnaturally shuffle funkily to the beat. I spent the first two two days just immersing myself in the sound here, which is all too easy to do … but as you’d expect with a set of Chuck Prophet songs, there are exceptional stories that will unravel in every song … which is where I must point you to the heartbreaking melancholia of the 6/8, doo-wop-tinged One Lie For Me, One For You which is perfect for crying to at midnight. That single, Red Sky Night which knocked me sideways, sits perfectly here and just may be the most romantic song Chuck Prophet has ever recorded… and that’s quite some statement. While the musical concept is a surprise in itself, and works better than perhaps it should … Chuck can still throw a full on curve ball when you’re least expecting it; which is where In The Shadows (Song For Elon) comes to the fore with its chunky bass driven and remarkably tight Cumbian (Reggae) beat. Yes, you are correct from reading the title, Chuck is delivering a heartfelt message; not just to Elon Musk, but exorcises his frustrations with our corrupt society that caters to the rich and powerful and leaves everyone else to scrape for scraps at their feet. It’s still early days, and there are some truly exceptional songs here but I’ve somehow managed to narrow down my selection of Favourite Songs down to two; and it’s a coin toss between the skewed passion and romanticism of Give The Boy a Kiss and the majestic Good Day To Be Alive where the singer celebrates his good health following those dark months of ‘not knowing’ … I should know, I’ve been there myself and I guess the demographic who buy this album will appreciate the sentiment too … “It’s a good day to walk on water Good day to swallow your pride,” and then croons in the final verse … “Good day to call your mother Oh, it’s a good day to be alive.” I can’t say that this is Chuck Prophet’s best ever album, that’s subjective of course, but I do think it is his most accessible in many ways, as the Cumbian makeover and inclusion of ¿Qiensave? alongside Mission Express’s Rock n Roll background aligned to some of Prophet’s sharpest and profound songwriting will please old Green on Red fans as well as new fans who discover him via the singles on the radio.