Michael Weston King - I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 27 / 7 / 2010

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Make no mistake; this is an album of protest songs. Protest songs like those of us who were teenagers in the sixties remember them. Proper protest songs in other words, not the kind that some punk groups were churning out in the late seventies. It would appear that with ‘I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier’ England finally has a modern-day protest singer to match Americans Jefferson Pepper and Otis Gibbs. ‘Written Yesterday’ was one of the working titles for this collection of songs. The original idea was for Weston King to record an album of old protest songs where the message was as relevant today as it was when the songs were first written. Thankfully what happened was that listening to these old songs inspired Weston King to write some new songs along the same lines. So of the twelve songs on ‘I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier’ five are new songs that Weston King wrote or had a hand in writing. The startling fact is that these Weston King originals match and in many cases are more affecting than those he chose to cover. ‘Hey Ma, I’m Coming Home’ is simply one of the best protest songs ever written and it’s a Weston King original. It’s a soldier’s letter to his mother and the line or two of Paul Simon’s ‘Homeward Bound’ that Weston King incorporates into the song is not only a touch of genius but also poignant. Set to one of Weston King’s sweetest melodies his vocals are, as they are throughout this album, emotive and any rage Weston King is feeling is controlled. It’s a perfect case of how much more can be achieved without shouting. Weston King draws you in with his melodies and the lyrics touch you. Writing about missing your wife and children while fighting in foreign a land is nothing new ,but few have done it so articulately as Weston King has on this track. The way Weston King sings about being on the tarmac alongside his mates before getting loaded onto a plane to make that last journey home is extremely affecting. He may be coming home but it’s not the homecoming anyone wanted. That song honestly puts all the other tracks on this album into the shade. Consider that it sits beside such well-known songs as Phil Ochs ‘Is There Anybody Here?’ and ‘Cops of the World’ and even Dylan’s ‘I Pity the Poor Immigrant’; that alone proves just how powerful the songs that Weston King wrote for this album are. Maybe it’s because of the period where protest songs were part of my musical education but I’ve always had this idea that protest singers have never been really good singers. A lot of them have been an acquired taste vocally. That’s been the case through the years I think. Where Weston King differs from the rest is that he can actually sing; he has an almost sweet singing voice, there are no rough edges, no raspy whiskey soaked vocals to get your attention, just a guy singing his heart out like he feels every word he sings. There’s a soulful side to Weston King that comes out, maybe naturally, in Jim Ford and Bobby Womack’s ‘Sounds of Our Time’ which is one of the most inspired covers Weston King chose for inclusion here. Again Weston King has taken a song he didn’t write and made it his own. The sound of Sam Cooke has always hovered over this song and never more so than on this version. It’s obvious from the opening song, a Weston King original titled ‘In Time’, that here is an artist who really doesn’t need to cover other artists' songs, but such is the quality of his song writing that this album flows between originals and covers without the listener noticing. The songs flow so well which again proves just what an exceptionable song writer Weston King is. Lines like “now a black knight in the White House is gonna try and clean up his mess” cut through that opening song and leave us in no doubt as to where Weston King is coming from. The lyrics to the title song were written by Alfred Bryan in 1915 and have been set to a melody by Weston King who has turned these nearly hundred year old words into a piano ballad that are as relevant today as they were back then. It’s a stunning piece of work. The CD comes in an informative cover which also mentions a handful of songs that Weston King recommends to be checked out and it’s heartening to see that P.F. Sloan, Rodriguez and Joe South are in there amongst the more expected artists. We can only hope that at some point Weston King makes another album which includes some of the songs he mentions. In closing and in keeping with Weston King’s recommendations if this collection of songs touches you then also check out the Ace / Kent compilations ‘A Soldier’s Sad Story’ and ‘Does Anybody Know I’m Here’ for more along the same lines.

Track Listing:-

1 In Time
2 I Didn't Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier
3 Life Is Fine
4 Hey Ma I'm Coming Home
5 Parish Of Rope
6 Cops Of The World
7 Sounds Of Our Time
8 High Price Blues
9 Is there Anybody Here?
10 In Spain The Dogs Are Too Tired To Bite You
11 I Pity The Poor Immigrant
12 Simple Song Of Freedom

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