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| Anne Feeney rocks with labor classicsDump the Bosses Off Your BackCD by Anne Feeney $14.99 AnneFeeney.com http://annefeeney.com/ Reviewed by Michael G. Matejka Anne Feeney is an old-fashioned union hell-raiser, and she’s dipped deep into union roots for her latest musical effort, “Dump the Bosses Off Your Back.” Anne reaches back a century to the radical Industrial Workers of the World, a union that never had the membership numbers of the AFL or the CIO, but certainly left an imprint on labor’s culture. The IWW was a singing union, using popular songs and transforming their lyrics to send a very direct message to the working class. Anne takes some IWW standards, like “Dump the Bosses, ” “Hallelujah, I’m a Bum” and “Preacher and the Slave,” updating them both lyrically and musically, producing lively takes on old standards. With the recent mine disasters in Utah and West Virginia, Anne adds some very touching songs about miners and the risks they face. She helped perform and write music for a play, “Buried,” about the Sago Mine Disaster. She performs “How Much for the Life of a Miner,” an original composition she wrote for the play. Particularly touching is “Sago,” by Kiya Heartwood, which shares the lament of a wife whose husband is never coming back. Other current events get remembered, including Santiago Cruz, a Farm Labor Organizing Committee member who was killed in Mexico last year, while attempting to cross-border organize farm laborers. With our current multinational economy, listen close for “Brave New Christmas,” by John William Davis, which tells what happens when Santa and his elves are outsourced, losing their North Pole jobs to those in warmer climes. Anne is no stranger to central Illinois, having sung for strikers, locked-out workers and union rallies throughout our area. For those who remember her spirited appearances, these are a great way to reconnect with a fighting rebel; if you haven’t had the experience yet, check out “Dump the Bosses.” |