Kris Kristofferson

[anthonyeaston.livejournal.com]

The new Kris Kristofferson, does the same thing, he always does--try to find his place in the universe. Under rated as a singer, and perhaps the best american song writer since the mid 60s (more consistent then dylan, more lonely then merle haggard, smarter then bruce springsteen and less sentimental then anyone else) The single has a sing along chorus, that sounds like a pentecostal sing-a-long, but wryly upends all of the cliches we expect of country songs about jesus.

hes an old man now, an elder but hes always been ragged, always been downtrodden--what does it mean when he sings this:

Am I young enough to believe in revolution
Am I strong enough to get down on my knees and pray
Am I high enough on the chain of evolution
To respect myself, and my brother and my sister
And perfect myself in my own peculiar way

Its brave, because his desire for radical change is tempered with doubt, and he realises that to lay prostrate to the creator of the universe is not the moral equivalent of going out for a pint with a buddy, and he doesnt see anything wrong with admitting in evoution, and his desire towards unity is communitarian.

the new album is smart, because it isnt a fuck you to dubya (haggard did that with his last album), but an upbeat reflection on a minefield of interior change.

ysi here: