Almost 20 years ago, Terry Allen wrote a bunch of angry but moving songs about the Vietnam War for the film Amerasia. Now they finally get a CD release. It’s a long way from his usual funny/heartbreaking songs about life in Texas, as Thai musicians join his Panhandle Mystery Band to create a fascinating commentary on the brutality of ‘Nam. It all seems horribly prescient as the US embarks on a fresh round of global ‘adventures’, and makes the hope of the closing “Let Freedom Ring” seem particularly poignant and misplaced.
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