Avoid
The Nightwatchman
One Man Revolution EPIC, 2007
Really, any of the three albums Morello released as The Nightwatchman – his political folk alter ego – could have landed here, but the first,
One Man Revolution,
is just about the most insipid. These 13 songs are essentially Morello armed with acoustic guitar, occasional harmonica and quasi-Bob Dylan baritone. Po-faced and overly earnest to the point of parody, pick any song at random and a Dewey Cox impression will fit in seamlessly. Lyrically, Morello takes aim at Bush’s America and all the usual Bad Guys, but with the act of protest at heart it’s more likely to send his autocratic targets to sleep.