We can build together

Or keep watching things fall apart.

Stace England's music on this album is a perfect fit for the part of the world he is singing about. Blues, southern rock, country rock, and gospel are all part of the heritage of this area. The over fifty musicians he has assembled contribute everything from horns to slick guitar work.

He has engineered a project that both tells the story he wants told, and is musically entertaining at the same time. Lyrically he never preaches, he just narrates. The boastful voice of a white supremacist contrasts with the hope of black migrants searching for the promised land of integration, while a "some of my best friends are" type liberal rationalizes segregation.

Somehow or other Stace manages to keep us from hating these people. His genuine affection for the place, and his sincere hope that it could be better, shines through even when he's singing about Cairo's more sordid past. He is not an outside observer looking in; he is an oral historian recounting his people's history.

Stace England's Greetings From Cairo Illinois not only provides a portrait of the city in question, it succeeds in being a fine album musically. While the picture he paints of Cairo's history may not be the most attractive, I don't think the city could have asked for a better ambassador. If they had any brains, the town council and the chamber of commerce would make it their business to promote this disc.

Stace makes Cairo sound like a fascinating place to visit. I'm sure those who listen to it are going to be attracted, even if just from morbid curiosity, by his depiction. It would be the ultimate of ironies if this disc detailing its problems becomes responsible for Cairo's revival. Who knows, maybe this long moribund city will finally live up to its potential because of one person's affection and compassion.

Greetings From Cairo Illinois will made a great addition to anyone's collection: for the music and for the story.

Unfortunately there is no Amazon ASIN for Greetings From Cairo Illinois To purchase or listen go to Stace's web site.

Ed/Pub:LM