This video says about itself:
Michael Weston King – Hey Ma, I’m Coming Home
Michael Weston King live @ Toogenblik, Haren (Brussels, Belgium) on June 11, 2010.
From the new album “I Didn’t Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier”.
From daily The Morning Star in Britain:
I Didn’t Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier (Valve Records)
Tuesday 17 August 2010
by Ivan Beavis
Inspired by the endless vigils of Wootton Bassett for the returning war dead of Iraq and Afghanistan, Michael Weston King has released this anthology of protest songs.
On some tracks, he has set music to words written decades ago. On others, he has used his own compositions to express the frustration, anger and sadness of ordinary people at the fact that the passage of time seems not to have lessened the madness and waste of war.
It is fitting that King has added his individual talent here to revitalise the arrangements of two classic songs from the great Phil Ochs.
His choices of Cops Of The World and Is There Anybody There are strikingly relevant today as we contemplate the state cover-up of the killing of Ian Tomlinson and the hundreds of our youngsters and the countless hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Afghans being killed and maimed in the name of imperialist wars.
Also included are songs by Bob Dylan, Roosevelt Sykes, Bobby Womack and even Simple Song Of Freedom from Bobby Darin.
This shows the depth of research that King must have undertaken in order to amass this collection.
The sleeve notes point us to loads of other songs that he wanted to include but couldn’t.
However, King is best known worldwide as a singer-songwriter.
He has written songs for Townes Van Zandt, The Reveres and countless others and his self-penned contributions here are outstanding.
There is the boundless optimism of the front-line soldier in Hey Ma I’m Coming Home.
There is the certainty that we will win one day in In Time, and In Spain The Dogs Are Too Tired To Bite You reflects the exhaustion felt by working-class people struggling to survive and to change the status quo.
This is a heartfelt album, lovingly put together by King and his devoted band.
The standard of musicianship is extremely high and complements in a novel way what Langston Hughes was trying to say in the title track – no parent raises their child to be killed in the service of the elite.
The fight against war, against police brutality and for our voices to be heard will step up as we seek to resist this Con-Dem assault on the working class.
It’s doubtful that the mass media will play any of the songs showcased here, but if you want a worthwhile soundtrack to listen to as the bastards try to grind you down then you had better buy this album. It won’t lessen the pain, but it will strengthen your resolve.
Britain: Four of the Metropolitan Police’s riot squad will appear in court next month to answer charges of actual bodily harm against Babar Ahmed, a south London IT worker: here.
Dear Kitty. Some blog 
We’ll miss socialist singer
I was sad to hear socialist entertainer Brian Hibbard has died. He was best known as the lead singer of the Flying Pickets who had Christmas number one in 1983 with “Only You”.
The Flying Pickets came out of the 7:84 theatre group. This got its name because 7 percent of the population own 84 percent of the wealth.
Brian was an actor in Coronation Street. He appeared as Karaoke Dai in the black comedy Twin Town and starred in the anti-racist film Little White Lies.
In 2003 he addressed a huge anti-war rally in Swansea alongside fellow actors and activists. He will be greatly missed.
Martin Chapman
Swansea
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=28899
LikeLike