Rory all over
Lullabies for Big Babies
Rory McLeod
Cooking Vinyl (through Festival)
Review by Alex Bainbridge
Rory McLeod is a British folk singer/songwriter who seems to have tried his hand at just about every form of live entertainment around. Perhaps "passionate" is the best way to describe Rory McLeod: he is just as passionate about social justice and progressive change as he is about having a good time and entertaining people.
Lullabies for Big Babies, his latest album, includes 16 tracks recorded over the last 10 years. They are very typical of his music — if you like Rory McLeod, you'll like this album.
"Ballad of Spitalfields Market" is about the hardships and camaraderie in the life of a market porter. This song is humane and honest, which means it can't help but be political ("I've seen more dinner times than dinners"). That also means it is full of love and honour for working people.
I particularly like the song "A Foreigner Forever", born in the context of the growth of the far right in Europe. It is an answer to attacks on immigrants and exposes the racism in British society.
In telling one person's story, the song exposes the injustice of the notion of nationality for those who are excluded from it. "I'll be a foreigner wherever I go, including my birthplace I can hardly remember. Life has gone on without me there, I think I'll be a foreigner forever."
The album cover is decorated with pictures of Rory as a young child reading the Daily Worker, as well as a more recent photo of him in his "Free Leonard Peltier" shirt. This album is Rory all over and is worth getting.