SASHA DOBSON – BIG YELLOW TAXI – SINGLE REVIEW
According to Wikipedia, “a protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre”.
Quoted from the May 22nd, 2017 Vox article by Bridgett Henwood, “Protest songs often skew liberal, and usually fall under two categories: politically charged, topical songs taking issue with the government, or culturally focused songs aimed at injustices facing marginalized groups“.
On January 31 Petaluma Records will be releasing a new album of protest songs entitled, Stop, Hey What’s That Sound? Classic Protest Songs Reinvented with liner notes from famed music critic Rob Tannenbaum.
Petaluma records was founded by acclaimed songwriter and producer Roger McEvoy Greenawalt, who has worked with the likes of Joe Strummer and Iggy Pop, with his cousin Nion McEvoy , co-executive producer of the successful Mr. Rodgers doc, Won’t You Be My Neighbor.
Greenawalt has invigorated classic protest songs from the 60’s and 70’s, giving them a new reboot. In the process he has enlisted some the most eclectic group of artists to enliven his vision.
One such artist is Sasha Dobson, who has revisited the Joni Mitchell classic, “Big Yellow Taxi”. Amp has previously reviewed Dobson in her Americana side project with Norah Jones and Catherine Popper called Puss and Boots. Dobson who was raised in Santa Cruz, Ca. in a musical family moved to Brooklyn when she was 17 and has released five solo albums and toured extensively.
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On Sasha‘s rendition of “Big Yellow Taxi” the tempo has been slowed and her vocal much more ethereal than the Joni Mitchell cut. The guitar is twangier and the background lusher. Birds singing, waves crashing and jack hammers takes you to a whole new space. Greenawalt has transformed and refreshed the song to fit our new surroundings and utilized Dobson‘s voice to the max.
Dobson‘s recording is one of many. Renee Holiday and Nigel Harrison from Blondie tackle Patti Smith’s “People Have The Power”. Guster’s lead singer Ryan Miller transforms Curtis Mayfield’s iconic protest song, “People Get Ready”. Alto Reed’s daughter Victoria Reed sings Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s potent protest song “Ohio”. Fiona Silver powers through Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction” and the list goes on.
Petaluma Records and Greenawalt have created an amazing array of songs to start the 2020 political process. Not only are these songs still highly relevant but they prove that protest songs even written decades ago can still enlighten and motivate the world today.
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