Two Wolves, at least on first listen, is an album laced with an almost child-like sense of innocence in its social commentary. This should come as no surprise, considering John Flynn is perhaps best known for his Love Takes a Whole Box of Crayons and his award-winning work in childrens music. In spite of that, or more likely, because of that, Two Wolves is at its heart a work about family and its relation to a world numbed by violence and inequity.
Like the great folk singers before him, Flynn lures the listener into his world with an easygoing acoustic sound that belies the message of his lyrics. On "Dover," for instance, the music soars with a patriotic swirl while the lyrics personalize the sacrifice of soldiers who do not come home alive and the loved ones they leave behind. "Blink" takes a different tack in its Don McLean-esque structure and its sentimental look at enduring love. The album's title track could almost work on one of Flynn's children's albums as a simple parable about the choices we make in life and how they shape us.
None of that is meant to imply that the music on Two Wolves is maudlin but harmless — far from it. Folk music has always been quietly dangerous — from Woody Guthrie to Bob Dylan to Phil Ochs — and John Flynn's musings are no exception. Never politically overt, Flynn's lyrics nonetheless reflect the angst that is inherent in our collective mindset while maintaining a cautious optimism for the future. "There's No Them There" recognizes divisiveness ("races, creed and nations/are false separations") while steadfastly clinging to unity ("The colors of the rainbow/blend together and show/how we can blend also.") Likewise, "My Father's Chapel" celebrates the commonalities of the world's religions rather than dwell on their differences.
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